# Johann Melchior Molter



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

A very prolific and very original composer of the late baroque to classical transition period. Born 1696, died 1765.

I have some thoughts and hopefully fairly accurate observations on this composer:

-I've listened to an Overture suites, and heard something akin to a more wind intensive Telemann.

-He had his own genre of pieces called the 'sonata grosso' which has some resemblance to a concerto grosso but makes liberal use of winds and has some pre classical style ideas in it.

-He also wrote many many concerti, trumpet concerti, clarinet concerti(the first ones, actually), flute, oboe, bassoon, combinations, and even timpani. In what I've heard, he didn't make it easy on these soloists, especially the poor clarinetists.

Additionally, he wrote very many symphonies, maybe too many. The better of the few recorded of these works tend to sound more rough like early works of C.P.E. Bach. Not very much like Stamitz or Mannheim composers.

I think that some of the work that has been put into recording Telemann, and C.P.E. Bach could be put into Molter and baroque and classical buffs would be better for it.

Here is a CD that I recommend:


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