Haym: Complete Sonatas, Part 1

Nicola Francesco Haym (Rome 1678–London 1729) was a cellist and disciple of Corelli who emigrated to London in 1701. His patrons included the dukes of Bedford and Chandos. Later, he established himself as an adaptor of opera librettos (for Handel and others) and produced volumes of historical and literary scholarship. Haym composed the op. 1 trio sonatas in Rome in 1698–99 and they were published in Amsterdam in 1703, with a dedication to the duke of Bedford. The four solo sonatas (for transverse flute, oboe, or violin) were likely composed for Bedford’s private concerts and published in 1710. The solo sonatas and the first six trio sonatas of op. 1 are sonate da chiesa, which demonstrate Haym’s mastery of imitative counterpoint and his favor toward the minor keys of D, A, and especially C. The other six trio sonatas are sonate da camera, in which the fast movements are a pair of dance airs, either corrente and gavotta or allemanda and giga.