Sonate a flauto solo con cembalo

Francesco Barsanti, born in Lucca in 1690, studied scientific subjects at Padua University.
He decided to become a musician and in 1714 he went in England with Francesco Geminiani, another wellknown musician from Lucca.
He worked as oboe and flute player in London Italian Opera and in Bologna (Italy) between 1717 and 1719.
In 1735 he went back to Scotland, in Edinburgh where he was warmly appreciated and he married a Scots woman.
He visited again Lucca only in 1735.
In 1743 he settled again in London where he played the viola at the Covent Garden.
He died very poor in 1772.
His Sonatas and Concerti grossi show a good composition training and can be compared to similar works of such musicians as Haendel e foresee the Mannheimer style with the clever use of oboes, trumpet and timpani as concertino especially in the Opus III, the Concerti grossi.
His Old Scot Tunes too are quite deeper than a curious work on traditional Scottish music and his Latin Motets are to remember: his works deserve a better attention.
The claviorgano used in this recording is a combination of two instruments, organ and harpsichord, that allows the performer to play both together.
There is evidence of this virtuoso practice from Seventeenth century in some news on Caterina de’ Medici’s court until Haendel and his oratorio Israel in Egypt.
The rich timbre and sound explains fully the musicological interest.