Ernst Wilhelm Wolf

E.W. Wolf Ernst Wilhelm Wolf

Among the many works composed in various genres by Ernst Wilhelm Wolf (1735-1792), the solo keyboard works stand out for their accessibility, expressivity, and clear formal unity. They are fine examples of the early classical and rococo style popular in Germany at the time. This edition includes 74 works composed between 1765 and the end of Wolf's life, mostly sonatas, some sonatinas, and one fantasy with variations. A friend and admirer of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, Wolf, like C. P. E., clearly favored the clavichord, but most of the sonatas can be played on the fortepiano, as well as the modern piano. An important Foreword to Wolf's 1785 publication, A Guide to Good Performance on the Clavichord, is included here (in Volume 2) in a new translation. It is a valuable treatise that not only details Wolf's specific advice on clavichord technique, but also describes ornamentation, articulation, and other issues applicable to keyboard playing of the period.