Johann Mattheson - Ouverture (from Suite No.12 [1714])

Johann Mattheson ( 1681 – 1764) was a German composer, singer, writer, lexicographer, diplomat and music theorist. Mattheson was born and died in Hamburg. He was a close friend of George Frideric Handel, although he nearly killed him in a sudden quarrel, during a performance of Mattheson's opera Cleopatra in 1704. Handel was saved only by a large button which turned aside Mattheson's sword. The two were afterwards reconciled and remained in correspondence for life: shortly after his friend's death, Mattheson translated John Mainwaring's Handel biography into German and had it published in Hamburg at his own expense ("auf Kosten des Übersetzers") in 1761. The bulk of his compositional output was vocal, including eight operas, and numerous oratorios and cantatas. He also wrote a few sonatas and some keyboard music, including pieces meant for keyboard instruction. All of his music, except for one opera, one oratorio, and a few collections of instrumental music, went missing after World War II, but was given back to Hamburg from Yerevan, Armenia, in 1998. played by gamma1734 the score is here in the ernst pauer anthology https://imslp.org/wiki/Old_German_Com...) 0:00 largo 1:14 allegro con anima