Steibelt, Daniel: Twelve Divertissements for Piano Forte and Tambourine, Op.38 (AE607)

Steibelt, Daniel (1765-1823)

The present edition of Twelve Divertisments, consisting of Marches, Waltzes and Rondos for the Piano Forte by Daniel Steibelt, with an Accompaniment for the Tambourine likely represents the sort of pieces that the Steibelts included in their concert tours in Europe at the turn of the nineteenth century. As far as the tambourine parts go, they are simpler in style than other works for tambourine from this period such as Joseph Dale’s Grand Sonata, Op.18, and as such they would have been intended for private, domestic performance in the drawing rooms of upper-middle class households. Every other work in the collection is a waltz that is preceded by a different style of piece – there are two marches, a rondo, as well as some dance types that may have been less familiar to the average British household, such as a cosake, a Russian air and an allemand. The tambourine parts typically double the rhythm of the right-hand piano part, with occasional longer trilled notes that provide additional flair. The style and notation of articulation and dynamic markings have been standardised throughout and, where missing, markings have been reconstructed based on parallel passages and parts.