Telemann: Der Melancholicus

Description

According to Telemann specialist Wolf Hobohm's preface, "Weltschmerz" and melancholy were all the rage in the 18th century. Telemann, however, took up the woeful theme in his usual nonchalant manner. By rustling up an entire arsenal of stylistic devices, he shows the listener at every step that he himself was of a cheerful disposition and sought nothing more than to poke fun at the sourpusses around him with his acerbic humor. The cantata's high jinks culminate in an aria (No. 5) with trilled "la la la" syllables. Here Telemann incorporates a self-quotation that also points to his effortless compositional hand in his other works as well.