Composer: Jean-Pierre Guignon (1702-1774)

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Guignon was born in Turin, Italy as Giovanni Pietro Ghignone.  He moved to France and was granted French citizenship by King Louis XV in 1741.  His nickname was the King of the Violinists and he died in Versailles.​

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Date: ?

 

Original Instrumentation: 2 violins

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Movements:    

1. Allegro poco

2. Andante

3. Allegro

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Why this one:

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​More Baroque (per IMSLP at least.)  I also thought this was going to be pretty straightforward and not too difficult.  (I was wrong, at least regarding the third movement.)

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Description:  

 

Movement 1 - Allegro poco

Key:  D

Time: 3/4  BPM=105

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This movement is in 3/4 but because triplets are so prevalent throughout it almost feels like it's in 9/8.  The first section has the melody in the violin 1 with the violin 2 in support.  The opening melodic idea is in D major but the movement quickly modulates to A major.  

 

The second part kicks off with the opening melodic idea again, this time in A.  This section has more of a call and response feel with violin 2 having more of the triplet figures both in alternation with violin 1 and in harmony with it.

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Performance:​

 

This piece over all was really fun to play.  This movement wasn't all that difficult.  I did the violin 1 first, and then violin 2 in a different session.   I didn't play any of the marked repeats.

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Errata:

There's a lot of dotted eighth sixteenth note figures in one instrument against straight triplets in the other, which aren't quite the same rhythm.  I interpreted this dotted rhythm to mean it was still a triplet feel and I just made the the sixteenth note land on the 3rd note of the triplet in the other instrument. 

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Movement 2 - Andante

Key:  D minor

Time: 6/8  BPM=Eighth 200

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This triple meter movement is built around a long short-long long long rhythm in both violins, which mostly harmonize with each other in thirds.  It's in D minor, which is the parallel minor of the D major, the key of movement 1 and 3, making an interesting harmonic contrast with the rest of the piece.

 

It's structured AABB.  The A section pretty much stays entirely in D minor.  The B section has a lot more accidentals in both violins, but I'm not sure how to parse what the key center is doing. 

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Performance:

This was the easiest (and shortest) movement of the piece and I basically one-taked both parts, with only about two very minor punch ins.   

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I opted to play the repeats in this movement because it was so short.​

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Movement 3 - Allegro

Key:  D

Time: 2/4  BPM=110

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This is a really fast movement with lots (and lots, sigh) sixteenth notes runs in both violins which harmonize with each other and weave in and out with each other.  Like the first movement it starts in D major before quickly modulating to A.  The violin 1 is in the lead here, but the violin 2 is also really active, especially at the end.

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Performance:​

 

Oof.  This movement was really difficult. I was really prepared but I was in a time crunch in the studio so I pressed a bit and was a little off my game.  i recorded the violin 1 part first and then violin 2.  Violin 1 overall took me longer than I was expecting so I only had time to do the violin 2 for this third movement in same session.   Violin 2 was difficult and I was warmed up so I wanted to take care of it; the thought of leaving this movement looming in my mind wasn't appealing.

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Album Art:

 

I took this photo in the Hall of Mirrors in the palace of Versailles, France. ​