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In this article the most significant trends in the development of 18th century Russian Court music are discussed. The era of reforms initiated by Tsar Peter I created the most favourable conditions to allow European music to enter the culture of the Russian Court and wider urban society. Absorption of the genres and forms of European music, specifically Italian, French and German music, blending them with Russian musical traditions, was the principal vector influencing development of national culture during the 18th century. In the reign of Empress Catherine, the Great, these tendencies were exhibited in the works of the Spanish composer, Vicente Martín y Soler. A detailed analysis is made of the genre and stylistic features of the so-called «Russian» operas of this composer associated with the travesty of motives and plots of epic genres; the musical and stylistic features of serious opera are also subjected to comic reinterpretation. El artículo analiza las tendencias más importantes en el desarrollo de la música de la corte rusa del siglo XVIII. La época de las reformas de Pedro I creó las condiciones más favorables para que la música europea hiciera su entrada en la corte rusa y en la cultura urbana. Dominar los géneros y las formas de la música europea (italiana, francesa, alemana) y combinarlos con las tradiciones musicales nacionales es el principal vector de desarrollo de la cultura rusa del Setecientos. Durante el reinado de Catalina la Grande, estas tendencias se manifiestan en las obras del español Vicente Martín y Soler. Las características estilísticas de género de las llamadas «óperas rusas» del compositor, asociadas con la parodia de motivos y tramas de géneros épicos, se someten a un análisis más detallado, pues los rasgos estilísticos de la ópera seria también están sujetos a una reinterpretación cómica.

The «Russian» operas of the Valencian musical composer Vicente Martín y Soler, were created during his stay at the court of Catalina II, from librettos that were written by the tsarina. Catalina valued musical theatre as an instrument useful both ideologically and morally. For this reason she reorganized the court theatre and paid special attention to the development of the Russian opera and in Russian language. In the historical context of the time, Martín y Soler participated in those ideological and political projects of the Empress, although these regulated and limited the art of the composer himself.

En un tratado manuscrito autógrafo, Antonio Soler desarrolla un sistema deafinación o temple para los instrumentos de teclado, basado en cálculos matemáticos, al mismo tiempo que inventa unos aparatos para proporcionar inmediatamente las notas correspondientes, dando las instrucciones para su construcción. El resultado es un temperamento idéntico al mesotónico puro de 1/4 de coma para las teclas naturales, y con las accidentales a igual distancia de las naturales adyacentes. El artículo comienza con un estudio y reflexión sobre el empleo de los términos temple y templar, usados hasta el siglo XIX en castellano en lugar de los términos actuales temperamento y temperar, así como un estudio de los temperamentos mesotónicos empleados en España. A continuación se estudian de características del temperamento de Soler, la magnitud de los intervalos que resultan, las frecuencias de las notas correspondientes, y la desviación en cents del temperamento igual. Se construye también el diagrama del círculo de quintas correspondiente. También propone un método para Ilevarlo a la práctica sin necesidad de aparato, «de oído». Se comprueba la corrección de los cálculos de Soler. In a handwritting autograph treatise, Antonio Soler develops a tuning system (in spanish, temple) for keyboard instruments, which is based in mathematic calculations. At the same time, he invents two devices which supply immediately the respective notes, including also instructions for its construction. The result is an identical to quarter-comma meantone temperament for naturals, with accidentals arranged at the same distance from adjacent naturals. The article begins with a study and reflection on Spanish terms temple and templar, used up to 19th century instead of presentday words temperamento (temperament) and temperar (to temper, to tune), and a study on meantone temperaments used in Spain. Soler's temperament features are subsecuently studied, as well as magnitude of consequential intervals, frecuency of respective notes, deviation in cents from equal temperament, and a diagram showing the circle of fifths. A procedure for puting it in practice without the aid of a device —that is to say, «by ear»— is also proposed. Correctness of Soler calculations is also verified.

The recitative is found in the original conducting score of Martin y Soler’s opera Il burbero di buon cuore, held by the Austrian National Library. While no autograph of the accompagnato survives that would unequivocably identify it as Mozart’s composition, the evidence strongly points to that conclusion. Motivically tight and well-crafted, the accompagnato continues the process of reworking borrowed material observable in K.583 as well as its companion aria ‘Chi sa, chi sa qual sia’ K.582. In the conducting score, the accompagnato is written on the same inserted gathering as K.583 and in the same hand. Even more compellingly, the aria begins on the reverse side of the page on which the accompagnato ends. The aria is labelled by the copyist as ‘del sigr. Mozart’; the recitative, not surprisingly, is not separately identified.

The orchestrally accompanied recitative which precedes the aria ‘Vado ma dove’ does contain gestures and harmonies found in Mozart’s accompagnati, yet it differs from his standard practices in a number of respects. Its lack of motivic development, persistent use of unison, and reiteration of chords and arpeggios in the same inversion all diverge from Mozart’s customary procedures. Moreover, the passage does not include a chord progression found in practically all of the composer’s accompagnati. If the recitative is by Mozart, it appears, as Link argues, that he composed it in haste. The music and the manuscript evidence also suggest that one of Mozart’s pupils or an apprentice at the Burgtheater may have composed the passage. Whoever wrote the recitative, however, brought the scene more in line with late eighteenth-century operatic practice.

Vicente Martín y Soler (1754-1806) is perhaps the only 18th-century Spanish composer who became internationally known during his lifetime. His renown was, however, not associated with Spanish music, but rather exclusively with his Italian operas, above all the \"dramma giocoso \"Una cosa rara o sia Bellezza ed onestà,\" which was based on a text by Lorenzo Da Ponte and which premiered in Vienna in 1786. His life, career, and musical works are profiled.

Las óperas «rusas» del compositor valenciano Vicente Martín y Soler fueron creadas durante su estancia en la corte de Catalina II, a partir de libretos escritos por la misma zarina. Catalina valoraba el teatro musical por considerarlo un instrumento útil tanto ideológica como moralmente. Por eso reorganizó el teatro cortesano y prestó una especial atención al desarrollo de la opera rusa y en ruso. En el contexto histórico de la época, Martín y Soler participó en esos proyectos ideológicos y políticos de la emperatriz, a pesar de que regulaban y limitaban el arte del mismo compositor.

Reviews a set of 12 songs by Spanish composer Vicente Martín y Soler (Editions Orphée, Inc., 1998, $14.95) noting they were originally written in Vienna around 1785. Notes that John McCormick has added the guitar accompaniments and that the vocal lines are \"strongly reminiscent\" of early Mozart vocal works. Recommends for use by a soprano who is looking for classical material with guitar. Notes that the Italian texts and English translations are given in the front of the volume.

The following recordings performed by the I Suoni Assaggiati vitual orchestra under Roderick E. Simpson are reviewed (Initium): (1) Monn - Harpsichord Concerto in g, Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, Violin, and Basso in B-flat, Organ Sonata No. 1 in G; Wagenseil - Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings in C; Mann - Concert Piece for Fortepiano in B-flat; (2) Haydn - \"Mechanical Clock, 7 PM,\" \"Mechanical Clock, 9 PM\"; Mozart - \"Der Schauspieldirektor,\" Symphony in C, Minuetto and Trio, Minuetto; Mann - Minuetto and Trio No. 2 in F for Harpsichord, Minuetto and Trio No. 3 in F for Fortepiano; Martín y Soler - \"Un cosa rara\"; (3) Wagenseil - Divertimentos for Harpsichord, Book 1, Nos. 1-6; and (4) Monn - Organ Concerto in D; Sarti - Symphony in C; Mozart - Organ Antiphon, Symphony in C, Piano Concerto in D, Rondo in D; Mozart/Monn - Antiphon for Organ.