Giustini/ Coen - 12 Sonatas for Fortepiano

Lodovico Giustini da Pistoia's (1685-1743) set of 12 sonatas published in Florence in 1732 was a remarkably important event in the history of music. It is the first set of works composed specifically for the fortepiano, an instrument in the early stages of it's development, and therefore these works can claim to being the ancestors of the piano sonatas by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Without these works that tested the new instrument being developed by Bartolemeo Christofori, the history of the modern piano might have been very different indeed. These sonatas, whilst nodding in the direction of Domenico Scarlatti and Archangelo Corelli in places, look forward to the new and exciting world of the stile gallante. This set Christoforo many challenges, as the sonatas, with their varied dynamics, tested the new instrument to it's limits.