Saverio Mercadante

Sonata Prima C major

Mercadante was highly respected by many composers of his time. As well as postulating the maxim that the effect of an entire orchestra should always be given priority over the effect of a single instrument, Mercadante's teachers at the Neapolitan school also showed great interest in chamber music. In contrast to Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, Mercadante continued to compose instrumental music after finishing his musical training. By doing so, he gradually found his own musical language which combined the pleasures of musical lyricism and instrumental bravura while also enlarging his knowledge of individual instruments. Both the sonata presented here and the Fantasia (cf.ZZM 31140) for solo flute with ad libitum accompaniment of a second flute or violin reflect the vast instrumental knowledge which Mercadante acquired over the years.