The innovative changes that characterize musical instrument making at the beginning of the 19th century reflect the increasing technical demands of composers as well as...

The innovative changes that characterize musical instrument making at the beginning of the 19th century reflect the increasing technical demands of composers as well as the needs of musicians striving for perfection and the audiences’ insatiable thirst for novelty. The harpsichord, which had definitely fallen out of favor because of its limited musical expression, was now superseded by the pianoforte. The range of the new instrument was expanded and in order to enhance its expressive possibilities, pedals were added to modify its tone color and timbre. Another instrument also underwent a rapid evolution: the transverse flute. The famous flute-maker Johann Georg Tromlitz developed a new key system that allowed flute players to perform with greater velocity, produce a pleasant, even tone and optimize intonation across the full range of the instrument. As to the cello, innovation affected not so much its construction as its role: the instrument gradually freed itself from playing a supporting role to the piano and became an equal partner in the ensemble, engaging in dialogue with the other instruments in its own right. And so this combination of instruments – flute, cello and piano – was now ready to establish itself in the chamber music genre. This release explores those first chamber works, and includes pieces by Carl-Maria von Weber, Friedrich Kuhlau, and Carl Czerny.