Advocates for the music of forgotten composers can always be found but their advocacy tends to either be ignored or is simply swept under the rug as musical eccentricity by a concert-going public that has largely been fed a steady diet of acknowledged masterpieces. But much can be missed by consistently traveling the main road without ever venturing off the beaten path. In many cases neglected composers are just that and not negligible ones. Much unknown music has been written that has more than a bit of originality and it awaits its champion to bring it to life in performance.

In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries England was fertile ground for European composers seeking new exposure for their work. Witness the stream of continental composers like Georg Frideric Händel, Pieter Hellendaal, Francesco Geminiani, and later, Joseph Haydn, whose craft was heard not only in concert rooms but also in the estates of nobility and the salons of the affluent middle class. A number of lesser known composers -- both immigrant and native -- seized upon the opportunity and by doing so, created a lengthy and impressive list of works that while derivative to a degree, bear witness to far more than a meager understanding of composition as well as the typical English bent for a "good tune." The shops of London's leading publishers were stocked with the latest compositions and arrangements and a healthy competition for the latest works by both domestic and immigrant talent developed. Staying in the vanguard of the music industry occasionally meant issuing pirated and in some cases inaccurate editions from home or abroad.

Among those whose talents found a sympathetic ear in London was a man from The Netherlands by the name of Willem de Fesch (1687-1761). Born in Alkmaar, De Fesch was a virtuoso violinist and composer who held several posts in his homeland and had a number of publications to his credit before going to London in 1731. On his native soil, De Fesch published several sets of solo concertos and concerti grossi that indicate he was thoroughly familiar with the Italian form of the concerto as perfected by Corelli, Vivaldi, and others. In London, De Fesch worked for a time as the leader of Handel's orchestra; he also performed as a soloist and taught privately. In addition De Fesch provided music for a number of stage productions, including The Tempest and in the shadow of Handel, he also composed two oratorios, Judith and Joseph. The first of these two works was actually the second oratorio written in England: Handel gave birth to Esther in 1732 and De Fesch followed suit with Judith at Lincoln Inn Fields Theater less than a year later. Given the similarity in the thrust of De Fesch's effort, he was either planning to establish himself as a composer of oratorios alongside Handel, or perhaps even set himself up as a rival. Unfortunately, the music to Judith is irretrievably lost; only the text has survived via a single copy of the libretto.

"But Joseph is another matter entirely," said Dutch musicologist Rudolf Rasch, a leading expert on De Fesch as his music. "It was composed a dozen years later and performed at Covent Garden on March 20^th and April 3^rd of 1745. The soloists who performed with De Fesch were among the best known singers of the day and included soprano Catherine Clive as Joseph and tenor John Beard as Simeon, Potiphar, and also probably the Ishmaelite and jailer. Bass Henry Reinhold was Jacob and the General. Thereafter no record of any performances can be located. For many years, the music to Joseph was believed lost, but in 1980, Belgian musicologist Pieter Andriessen stumbled upon a complete manuscript in the library of the Royal Academy of Music in London." However the manuscript was a copy as opposed to the composer's autograph. Even though it lacked the composer's imprimatur, the score was pressed into service. "It was used to prepare a workable performing edition and the first modern performance -- conducted by Jos Swillens -- took place in 1984 at the Casino in Beringen, Belgium," Rasch said. "Another performance, conducted by Jos van Imerseel, was mounted in September of 1987 during the cleverly titled series of concerts and lectures in Alkmaar known as Feschtival."

As De Fesch's Judith came less than a year following Handel's Esther, his Joseph was not long in following Handel's Joseph and His Brethren, so there is little doubt as to why De Fesch had this statement included in the printed announcement of his oratorio: "Both the words and music are entirely new…" "Joseph is not an oratorio with a hero or heroine like Samson or Esther," noted Rasch, who provided the annotations for the NM Classics world premiere recording of Joseph (a review of the recording follows this feature). "The theme is envy," said Rasch, "and the forgiveness found through faith in God." But while similar in form, the Handel and De Fesch are entirely different works, according to Rasch. "Handel's treatment of the material covers less of the Old Testament story and begins with the enslavement of Joseph in Egypt -- the beginning of the third act in the De Fesch version -- and ends in the same manner as the De Fesch, with Joseph uncloaking his identity to his brothers."

Consistent with the genre, Joseph -- like Cæsar's Gaul -- is divided into three parts. Jed Wentz, founder and director of the period instruments orchestra Musica ad Rhenum and who conducted this world premiere recording, pointed out that in some ways, Joseph is cut from the same cloth as other works of the era. "The musical blueprint generally follows the recitative-aria pairing with the biblical narrative being carried by the recitatives, leaving little dramatic action in the arias; these deal more with material of a contemplative nature, as do the arias in the passion settings of Bach." De Fesch also crafted a brief but opulently scored overture (beginning alla marcia) that is freer in form than many of Handel's more highly structured preludes.

"The concision and compactness that one finds in De Fesch's concertos is also in evidence throughout Joseph," added Wentz. "De Fesch made the most of his material and stated his case efficiently but also effectively, never reverting to redundancy or repetition, even for effect. De Fesch's Joseph was purposefully crafted in a lighter style. He wanted to take advantage of what he saw as Handel's weaknesses when it came to pleasing an audience. Joseph is pure opera seria (and) not really a Handelian oratorio. It has an excellent, compact libretto, charming, virtuoso arias, and a minimum of choruses." But the final chorus that praises God for the reunification of Joseph and his brothers is quite powerful, especially well wrought, and -- as one might suspect -- basks in the splendor of trumpets and timpani.

It is quite clear that De Fesch chose to approach the subject matter in a different manner. "He was clever enough," added Wentz, "not to challenge the master upon his own ground, but to attack from the rear, so to speak. In doing so, De Fesch hoped to appeal to that segment of the audience with a taste for the more modern, fashionable, and lighter taste that was steering European music away from the Baroque and toward the Rococco." De Fesch's unknown librettist also made different choices in Biblical text than did his opposite number who provided Handel with his text. The former included extensive treatment of Joseph's marriage to Asenath, daughter of the High priest Potiphera. For the voices of the characters in their respective works, there are both similarities and differences. "In Handel's score," Rasch noted, "Joseph is an alto, while with De Fesch, he is a soprano. Reuben is a bass in Handel and an alto in De Fesch. However, both composers cast Simeon as a tenor and Benjamin as a soprano." Wentz exhibits a clear preference for De Fesch's libretto, which he described as being compact and dramatic. Wentz pointed out cyclical elements in Joseph. "In part one, 'I'll the lion…' expressing courage as yet untried, is clearly related in both form and content to 'Let me ever look o Thee…' in part two, which expresses confidence in Divine protection during times of tribulation.

Of course there are many other points upon which I could touch, but space is a consideration. "If De Fesch's Joseph lacks Handel's grandeur and depth of characterization, it does present the listener with aria after aria of joyous, melodic music, and innovative orchestration," concluded Wentz. Placing the differences and similarities of the composers' treatments aside, it would not be fair to De Fesch to overtly and intentionally compare his music to that of Handel, for genius always triumphs at the expense of talent. Willem De Fesch made a valiant but unsuccessful effort to challenge Handel as a composer of oratorio. De Fesch remains unknown in all but a select few music circles outside of The Netherlands. However, we are seeing his name on commercial recordings with increasing frequency and hope that those who develop an interest in De Fesch's music will exercise patience as we attempt to gain this Dutch master an unbiased hearing.

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DE FESCH Joseph • Claron McFadden, sop (Joseph); Roberta Alexander, sop (Potiphar's Wife); Susanna Moncayo von Hase, mezzo sop (Reuben); Nico van der Meel, ten (Potiphar, Ishmaelite); Henk Vonk, ten (Simeon); Tom Sol, bass (Jacob, General) Susanna ten Wolde, sop (Benjamin, Stranger); Jasper Schweppe, bar (Gaoler); Jed Wentz cond. Musica ad Rhenum, Nationaal Kinderkoor and Viri Cantores (period instruments) • NM Classics 92079 (Distributed by Qualiton Imports) 3 CDs (40:17; 45:47; 54:56 TT)

Holland was a thriving musical center in the 18^th century. Publishers like Roger issued the latest concertos from the pens of Europe's musical elite. Dutch carillons were the envy of the continent and native composers, eager to cash in on the latest musical trends, sought the ears of their countrymen with their own and frequently exceptional craft. But Holland -- like England -- had also become a musical Mecca for immigrant talent. Composers like Mahaut, Solnitz, and Hurlebusch were all the rage and their music -- not to mention the works of Corelli and Vivaldi -- was everywhere. But some of Holland's native talent chose to take its chances elsewhere, specifically in England where other European composers had enjoyed unparalleled successes and some even amassed small fortunes.

This was the path taken by Alkmaar native Willem de Fesch (1687-1761) who had firmly established himself in his homeland, but for various professional reasons, eventually found it beneficial to leave, ostensibly for those frequently elusive greener pastures. In England, De Fesch settled into a stable existence that included private instruction, composition, and performing. He was an astute composer, familiar with the latest in musical developments, but even though his career spilled over into the early days of the pre-Classical era, De Fesch chose to keep his feet firmly planted in the Baroque idiom. While his music is mainstream and fits the mold of the Italian solo concerto that reached its zenith in the works of Vivaldi, De Fesch's music is not without an occasional stylistic imprimatur.

De Fesch was quick to recognize the value of a new and emerging form in England, the oratorio. Established by Handel, the genre had also been embraced by a number of others, including Arne, Greene, and Festing, but with varying degrees of artistic and financial success. Handel's treatment of the Biblical story of Joseph was hampered by a less than effective libretto, and De Fesch seems to have also been saddled with a text that was far from sterling, but like Handel, De Fesch made the best of a bad situation. De Fesch had been in the "Fairest Isle" for a number of years when he composed Joseph and upon learning that the composer was Dutch, one cannot help but be impressed with De Fesch's understanding of the language of his adopted country, not to mention his ability to set the language to music in a most natural and effective manner.

There are no arias in Joseph that are akin in popularity to Handel's most celebrated melodies, but there are many excellent moments, including Reuben's exquisite "Underneath this plantane Shade" with two obbligato flutes that serve to accentuate the section of the text that refers to the "…Gentle western Breeze…(that) gives our Languid Spirits ease," and the appropriate tremolandi in the violins in Joseph's aria "Tremble Shudder at the Guilt…" None of the choruses rival Handel's masterly settings, but at one point in the final chorus De Fesch does include the famous "Hallelujah" rhythm. Was this a conscious effort by De Fesch to pay homage to Handel? Possibly, but in the opening chorus of the Gloria in his Mass in C Minor, Mozart incorporated the same rhythm for the words "in excelsis."

The performers excell in this rare literature and certainly are well cast in their respective roles; a number of them -- including sopranos Claron McFadden, Roberta Alexander and probably tenor Nico van der Meel -- are no strangers to repertoire of the era or this publication's readers. As a group, the soloists are light enough vocally to effectively negotiate the demands of De Fesch's score. Conductor Jed Wentz elicits an excellent sound from the choir and period instrument orchestra; both are consistently focused, eager, and highly responsive.

De Fesch never approached the oratorio after Joseph closed following its second performance. Perhaps after facing off with Handel twice and getting the short end of the stick both times, De Fesch finally saw the writing on the wall. But in the final analysis, he doesn't fare badly. He emerges as a genuine talent, but not a heavyweight like Handel. The Dutchman's approach to the oratorio genre was different from that of his German-born contemporary, but never did De Fesch's reach exceed his grasp. De Fesch possessed an excellent Thespian sense and as Joseph shows, knew full well how to craft a dramatic work.

In the final analysis, one cannot help but admire De Fesch for going toe-to-toe with London's most impressive and imposing musical figure. Joseph is a minor masterpiece that offers us an intriguing glimpse into another of those dark and musty corners of music history. But thanks to the adventurous efforts of Jed Wentz and others associated with NM Classics and their American representative, Qualiton Imports, the reputations of De Fesch and a number of his countrymen are growing day by day.

Send Email to michael.carter@eku.edu.