Sonata X (WSW 15)

Sonata X (WSW 15)

Sonata X  comes from Weiss’s middle ‘productive’ period, thought to have taken place between 1719 and 1725. The original tablature manuscript is in the British Library (London Ms. Add. 30387). The Sonata has six movements: Allemande, Courante, Paisane, Sarabande, Menuet, and it ends with a Gigue. There is a another copy of this Sonata in the Warszawa Biblioteka Uniwersytecka Poland (in its entirety), and a copy in the Sächsisches Landesbibliothek in Dresden (Suite XXVI), which contains three concordant movements: Allemande, Courante, and the Gigue. The Dresden manuscript displays some differences from the London manuscript. This Edition has taken those differences into account in certain details.

Originally, the Sonata is written in B flat major, a key often used by Weiss as it is appropriate for playing the lute, but rather awkward with the guitar. For ease and effectiveness of playing, I have transposed the Sonata a minor third lower to G major. To create more concordance with the baroque tuning of the lute, the G string is lowered by a semitone to F sharp.