Page:Rolland - A musical tour through the land of the past.djvu/154

142 the first part being lento, the second vivamente and the third lento, the vivamente movement having a freely fugued character, while the slow movement of the beginning is usually reproduced at the end). The "French overture" was introduced into Germany in 1679 (Steffani) and 1680 (Cousser); it reached its apogee in Telemann's days, during the first twenty years of the eighteenth century. We have seen that Telemann cultivated this instrumental form with predilection about 1704–5, when he became acquainted, in the house of the Graf von Promnitz, at Sorau, with the works of Lully and Campra. He then wrote 200 "French overtures" in two years. Again, he employed this form of composition for certain of his Hamburg operas.

This does not deter him from the occasional employment of the "Italian overture" (first vivamente, second lento, third vivamente).—He called this form of composition a concerto, because he employed in it a first violin concertant. We have a rather delightful example in the overture to Damen (1729), whose style is analogous to that of Händel's concerti grossi, which date from 1738–9. It will be noted that the third part (vivace 3/8) is a da capo, of which the middle portion is in the minor key.

Telemann also wrote, for his operas, instrumental pieces in which French influences are perceptible—above all in the dances, which are sometimes sung.

Among the other orchestral forms which he attempted is the instrumental trio, the Trio-Sonata,