Giuseppe Demachi was an Italian violinist, and there are conflicting accounts regarding the dates of his life. Several encyclopaedias give his year of birth as 1732 – the same year Joseph Haydn was born – and his year of death as around 1791, the year Mozart died. Another encyclopaedia gives his year of birth as 1710 and a presumed year of death as 1771.
There is, however, agreement regarding Demachi’s origins, namely from Alessandria della Paglia in Piedmont. His career took him first to the Turin court orchestra, and later to Geneva, where he spent the greater part of his working life.
In 1791, he is said to have given concerts in London, where he is also believed to have died. Stylistically, Demachi’s music belongs more to the galant style than to the Classical period, an era that is often unfairly dismissed as a ‘transitional period’ and more or less overlooked, even though it was precisely during this time that profound changes in music took place.
Nine trios have survived for flutists: 3 trios, Op. 1; 3 trios, Op. 14; and 3 trios, Op. 17, the latter of which can also be played with a violin as an alternative.
One of the flute trios is said to have achieved considerable fame in its day.
The first edition published in Paris served as the source for this new edition of the Trio in F major No. 4, Op. 17.
The use of optional notes in the first edition, which allow for alternative interpretations, has been applied here in the spirit of a practical edition to simplify ensemble playing.
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