Sheet Music: Air à l'Italien

TitleAir à l'Italien
from Suite in A minor for Recorder and Strings
Alternate titlesAir à l'Italienne
Opus numberTWV 55:a2, Mvmt. 3
ComposerGeorg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)
InstrumentationFlute and Strings
KeyA minor
RangeF4–F6
Time signature4/4
Tempo36 BPM
Performance time6:50
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (140 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (5.8 MB)
Play-along accompanimentMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (5.8 MB)
Date added2010-02-04
Last updated2010-02-04
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Categories
Baroque

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Thursday 4 February 2010

Tune of the Day: Air à l'Italien

from Suite in A minor by G.P. Telemann

In the Ouverture-Suite in A minor, TWV 55:a2 Telemann is revealed once more as a master of the “mixed taste”: the suite contains a pair of French minuets, two passepieds from Brittany, a Polish polonaise, and this “Air in the Italian style”, thus enhancing Telemann's pan-European reputation for inventive use of the orchestra in a form to which he was particularly attached.

The fourth movement from the suite is titled “Air à l’Italien”, although a more correct French spelling would be “Air à l'Italienne”. (Also, this is sometimes referred to as the third movement, because the two “Les Plaisirs” preceding it may be considered as a single movement.) This “Air” is a baroque operatic aria in Italian da capo form, as found in Handel: a cantabile first part followed by a contrasting virtuoso middle section.

Other Movements from the same Work

1.Ouverture Flute & Strings
2.Les Plaisirs II Flute & bass
3.Air à l'Italien Flute & Strings
4.Menuet II Flute & Piano
5.Réjouissance Flute & Strings
6.Passepied II Flute & bass