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Jan Steffani (1746 - 1829) The two Harmonies and Serenata Parthia edited by Dr. David J. Rhodes from manuscripts previously attributed to J.A. Steffan are now believed to be the work of Jan Steffani. Grateful thanks are due to Mr. Jon Gillaspie of London who has traced other, previously believed 'lost' compositions for wind ensemble also by Steffani, the title page of which (6 Partitas published by J.J.Hummel in 1786 in Berlin as his Op. 1) indicates beyond a shadow of doubt that Steffani, not Steffan, composed all of these works (at least there is now no evidence to suggest that J.A.Steffan even composed the two Harmonien at Schwerin). Part of Steffani's duties at the Polish court where, according to The New Grove, he was in service from 1779, was in fact to compose Harmoniemusik. Whether the three works in the Piper Edition (which do not correspond with any of the Op. 1 set) were composed for the Polish King Stanislav or for courtly ensembles elsewhere in Europe is not known, however. |
