Kemp English

This is the final volume of Kemp English’s pioneering world premiere recording of Leopold Kozeluch’s complete solo keyboard sonatas. It is played, once again, on appropriate authentic instruments and charts just how profoundly Kozeluch’s style changed over the decades, from the charming early Sonata No. 47 for harpsichord to the three late romantic sonatas. The virtuosic Sonata No. 49, with its pedal effects and extended compass, shows techniques derived from the English Piano School and in the final sonata he encapsulates to perfection the sound world of early nineteenth-century Vienna.

Leopold Koželuch (Czech pronunciation, born Jan Antonín Koželuh, alternatively also Leopold Koželuh, Leopold Kotzeluch) (26 June 1747 – 7 May 1818) was a Czech composer and teacher of classical music. He was born in the town of Velvary, in Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic).

Leopold Koželuch (Czech pronunciation, born Jan Antonín Koželuh, alternatively also Leopold Koželuh, Leopold Kotzeluch) (26 June 1747 – 7 May 1818) was a Czech composer and teacher of classical music. He was born in the town of Velvary, in Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic).

Leopold Koželuch, an eminent contemporary of Mozart and at the time considered by many to be the superior composer, was one of the first champions of the fortepiano, and his compositions for the instrument enshrined the highest qualities of Viennese style. Composed over nearly four decades his sonatas show progressive development, embracing lyrical melodies, delightful harmonic shifts, and foretastes of Romantic drama. They can be judged worthy to stand alongside those of Haydn, Dussek, Clementi and Mozart, and as a precursor to those of Beethoven.