Extant Cadenzas for the Viola da Gamba

Compiled by Nicholas Kleinman

This list provides primary source excerpts of non-improvised cadenzas written for the viola da gamba and baryton. It does not claim to be complete and – hopefully – will continue to grow over time. Information accompanying the excerpts is limited to the essential: composer, title (in italic if original), place of preservation of the original source (indicated by RISM library sigla) and any other information useful to identify the work containing the cadenza.
The list has been compiled in the most sincere hope that the ever-curious members of the Viola da Gamba community will view these excerpts as a window into the past, as well as a useful tool for one’s own practice in inventing and playing cadenzas. A publication with musicological insights into the sources and the practice of cadenzas will appear shortly. If anyone wishes to contact me (especially to inform me of non-improvised cadenzas I may have missed), please feel free to write to me at nicholas.kleinman [at] protonmail.com.

 

Carl Friedrich Abel

  • Sonata Viola da Gamba, Sonata in Eb Major from Maltzan Collection, Poznań (PL-Pu) ms. 7836, page 76
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba, Sonata in E Major from Maltzan Collection, Poznań (PL-Pu) ms. 7836, page 82
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba, Sonata in F Major from Maltzan Collection, Poznań (PL-Pu) ms. 7836, page 140
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba, Sonata in Bb Major from Maltzan Collection, Poznań (PL-Pu) ms. 7836, page 146
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba, Sonata in D Major from Maltzan Collection, Poznań (PL-Pu) ms. 7836, page 152
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba, Sonata in G Major from Maltzan Collection, Poznań (PL-Pu) ms. 7836, page 158
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba, Sonata in D major from Maltzan Collection, Poznań (PL-Pu) ms. 7836, page 166
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba Solo e Basso, Sonata in E Major from Pembroke Collection, D-LEb Kulukundis, page 15
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba Solo con Basso, Sonata in F Major from Pembroke Collection, D-LEb Kulukundis, page 36
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata A Viola da Gamba Solo e Basso, Sonata in G Major from Pembroke Collection, D-LEb Kulukundis, page 40
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata Viola da Gamba Solo e Basso, Sonata in D Major from Pembroke Collection, D-LEb Kulukundis, page 44
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann

Andreas Lidl

  • Sonata a Viola da Gamba Solo e Violoncello, Sonata in C major from Maltzan Collection, Poznań (PL-Pu), ms. 7858
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann

Andreas Lidl or Franz Xaver Hammer

  • Sonata à Viola da Gamba con Violoncello, in D major, from Landesbibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schwerin (D-SWI), ms. 2285(2)
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann
  • Sonata in D à Viola da Gamba con Violoncello, from Landesbibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schwerin (D-SWI), ms. 2285(4)
    Cadenza
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann

Joseph Fiala or Franz Xaver Hammer

Johann Gottlieb Graun

  • Concerto for Violin and Viola da Gamba in C minor, GraunWV A:XIII:3
    Cadenza (excerpt from Darmstadt (D-DS), ms. 1237)
    Bibliographical information: Catalogue Hoffmann

Joseph Haydn, cadenzas for baryton

  • Divertimento a tre, Trio for baryton, viola and violoncello in D major from Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (D-B), ms. 10037, Teil 2, no. 7, Hob. XI:31
    Cadenza
  • Divertimento a tre, Trio for baryton, viola and violoncello in G major from Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (D-B), ms. 10037, Teil 2, no. 13, Hob. XI:37
    Cadenza
  • Divertimento a tre, Trio for baryton, viola and violoncello in G major from Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (D-B), ms. 10037, Teil 3, no. 11, Hob. XI:59
    Cadenza