Saint-Georges, Joseph Bologne de: Violin Concerto in B flat major, Op.7 No.2 (AE629)

Saint-Georges, Joseph Bologne de (1745-1799)

Saint-Georges published his concertos and symphonies concertantes in pairs, typically with one work scored for strings alone and the second with wind instruments. The two Concertos Op.7, published in Paris by Bailleux in 1777, are no exception. The first work is scored for strings and the second, on the basis of the printed parts and Bailleux’s title page, for strings and a pair of horns ad libitum. This scoring was not uncommon in concertos composed during the middle decades of the eighteenth century and there is also a considerable number of symphonies composed for this combination of instruments. Nonetheless, it is clear from the musical text of Op.7 No.2 that Saint-Georges’s original scoring must have included a pair of oboes or flutes. There are several passages in the first and second movements in which an upper part (or parts) is missing. In the present edition, the orchestral violin parts have been rewritten in these sections to remedy the problem.