Henri-Joseph Rigel (1741-1799): Sonata in B-flat Major ()

World Première Recording (?) 1) Allegro Spiritoso: 00:00 2) Adagio grazioso: 7:11 3) Tempo di Minuetto: 13:24 Despite his first name – which he most likely changed upon moving to France – Henri-Joseph Rigel, originally Heinrich Joseph Riegel, was born and raised in Wertheim, Germany. His father, Georg Caspar Riegel, was a musician who was employed as “Musical Intendant” at the court of the Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. Henri-Joseph’s first teacher was of course his father; later, he studied with the famed Italian composer Niccolò Jommelli, who was living in Germany at the time. When he was 26 years old (1767), Rigel traveled to Paris, where his compositions met with the enthusiasm of the public. Not only did he present his harpsichord sonatas, but also string quartets, symphonies and oratorios. In 1793, Rigel was named “Piano teacher, first class” at the new Conservatoire de Paris. Between 1788 and 1799, Rigel composed 16 operas; his style was reminiscent of Gluck. His wife was a music engraver; thus, it was only natural that she helped him to prepare his numerous works for publication at their own publishing house. Not long after their publication in France, the works were also printed in a number of German cities. As this fine sonata in B-flat Major shows, Henri-Joseph Rigel was an extremely talented composer who deserves to be better known in our day. David Bolton, “The Digital Harpsichordist” What’s that you say? You still haven’t seen my books? Please do check them out at Amazon! How to Memorize Music – A Practical Approach for Non-Geniuses How to overcome Stage Fright − The ultimate Guide for performing Musicians Play it with Feeling! - Expressing Emotion in Musical Performance All available at Please subscribe to my channel! P.S. You might want to join my Facebook Group: “The Digital Harpsichordist“: