Editorial Reviews

The "tower sonatas" described in this album's title are German pieces, from the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, that were actually designed to be played, twice a day, by musicians stationed in a central city tower -- in this case in Leipzig. These Stadtpfeifer or city musicians were public employees, early beneficiaries of the elaborate system of civic patronage that nurtured the Bach family. Indeed, the biography of the later of the two composers represented, trumpeter Gottfried Reiche, is closely interwoven with Bach's. The music itself is a classic example of what the German language calls Gebrauchsmusik, music meant to be used, and it is perhaps best listened to as Leipzigers of the day would have -- while going about one's business. Each piece is short, not much over two minutes long except for Johann Pezel's slower dances. Reiche's pieces alternate between fanfare-like sonatinas and little polyphonic constructions entitled fuga. The sets of pieces by the two composers are pleasantly inventive but don't vary greatly within each group, and the use of modern instruments by Hungary's Ewald Brass Quartet adds another layer of homogeneity -- older brass instruments differed from one another timbrally more than do the trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba heard here. All this said, there is nothing whatsoever unpleasant about this disc. Brass players ought to get to know this repertory, which offers a potential change of pace from the obligatory Gabrieli polyphony that opens brass concerts, and the music could serve as sprightly yet dignified background for any outdoor event. James Manheim, All Music Guide

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