April 2004: This is another very fine trio, following on from Molino's Trois Trios op. 4 and his Grand Trio Concertant op. 30. It has been known for very many years since Heinrich Albert published it (parts only) with Zimmermann in about 1910. In 1986 I published it in a facsimile edition. However, this present edition is the first time as far as I know that a modern edition with score has been published.

Again this is a major work. It begins with a long allegro. Then a romance, adagio, really beautiful, just as was the romanza in op. 4 no. 1. Finally, a rondo with lots of energy. Throughout the work as in op. 4 and op. 30 there are plenty of exchanges between the viola and the guitar, and the guitar has a full part to play, not just providing a bass but participating as one of three equal players.

FLUTE OR VIOLIN?

In the Trois Trios op. 4 the title-page specified flute, and there was no sign of any violin fingering in that work. So in those trios op. 4, it would appear that the flute was definitely the intended instrument.

In the Grand Trio Concertant op. 30 the title-page specified flûte ou violon and there was no fingering nor anything else which I can see which might suggest that the part was intended for either one of the instruments rather than the other.

However, in this Second Grand Trio Concertant op. 45, although the title-page specifies flûte ou violon, violin fingering is present in that part. So, is this a genuinely adaptable part conceived as such by the composer, or is it in fact a violin part which you can, if you like, play on the flute?

The fingering is in the Allegro, bars 45, 49, 90, 159, 163, and 204, and in the Romanza, bar 39, with the indication 2e Corde. In this edition I have kept the fingering exactly as it is in the original.

At the suggestion of Ian Harwood I asked the violinist Judy Tarling, who is the author of the book Baroque String Playing and the leader of Peter Holman's 'Parley of Instruments' about it, and she kindly commented as follows:

"I've looked at the part and it is very interesting indeed to have these fingering instructions. They do all indeed work on the violin and indicate slides or portamento. I couldn't judge whether this music is suitable for flute, but it is very violinistic. The fingerings are slightly inconsistent in that sometimes the fingering is only on the second note of the slide, in which case I assume the same finger is to be used on the previous note, which would be a sensible fingering. Other places (perhaps where more is to be made of the effect) have the same finger marked on two notes plus 'gliss', i.e. glissando. I hope you will preserve these fingerings in your edition, as players have rather lost touch with this effect which began to be used in the late 18th century. It is considered rather tasteless nowadays, but Clive Brown has written about it in a very good article in JRMA 1988 p. 97-128."

To me, this seems to fit well with Molino's apparent aim, that of great beauty, in a rococo kind of way if one can call it that.

So it seems conclusive that the violin was in mind when he wrote this work. That doesn't mean that the part cannot alternatively be played on the flute as the title-page says. The wording flûte ou violon on the title-pages doesn't necessarily have to be dismissed as a mere commercial wording on the part of the publisher.

I wish to express my thanks to Mário Carreira and his colleagues who kindly proofread the Molino trios and suggested corrections. Of course any errors which remain are my reponsibility.

Brian Jeffery