Telemann Viola Concerto in G Major

Georg Philipp Telemann's music embodies the elegance and inventiveness of the Baroque era, and his Viola Concerto in G Major (TWV 51:G9) remains a cornerstone of the instrument's repertoire. As a composer who championed both structural clarity and expressive freedom, Telemann left room for performers to contribute their own artistry through ornamentation. Adding embellishments to slow movements was a customary practice during the Baroque period. Obviously, just like today, not everyone was naturally good at adding embellishments. Therefore, as a composer deeply invested in pedagogy, Telemann left implicit invitations for performers to embellish his works and gave examples in his XII Methodical Sonatas. These sonatas, which can be played on either violin or flute, provide a rare window into his approach to ornamentation, offering not only written-out variations but also frameworks for elaboration. There are two different ornamentation stylesone Italian, the other German. Telemann gives a good example of German-style ornamentation, which focuses on enriching the harmonic progression and is usually pre-planned and written out. When I wrote the embellishments, I first carefully studied the intervals and rhythmic patterns Telemann used, especially those movements in his XII Methodical Sonatas that share the same time signature. I paid special attention to the first movement of No. 4 in the second volume because it shares the time signature and tempoLargowith the first movement of the Telemann viola concerto. Then, since the German style emphasizes harmonic structure, I also analyzed the figured bass to make sure the embellishments I added followed the harmonic structure. In this edition, I put the original concerto on the top line while the line with my embellishments is below it, so people can compare the two. Like the Methodical Sonatas, this edition presents both a polished interpretation and a starting point for further improvisation. Telemann's own preface to the sonatas urged players to "proceed from the easy to the ornate"; similarly, I encourage violists to treat these embellishments as models rather than prescriptions, refining their own variations in the spirit of historical practice.