Six Sonatas op. 2

Note from the arranger

Sophia Giustina Corri (née Corri, later Dussek, later Moralt; 1775-1831) was born in Edinburgh by Italian emigrated musicians Domenico Corri and Alice Bacchelli. She was a successful singer, pianist, harpist, and composer.

Already performing in public when she was four years old, her father recognized her talent, thus giving her the highest music education. She performed, accompanied by Haydn, in London at 14 years old. In 1792, Sophia married the composer Jan Ladislav Dussek. The marriage was not happy, and they abandoned each other. Sophia was working and maintaining herself as a singer.

She composed for harp in her youth (Six Sonatas Op.2 were written when she was between 15–17 years old). In her older age, when she retired from the stage, she married a man 10 years younger and opened a music school. Her life was an incredible mix of strength and independency, generally not conceivable for a woman at that time.

The Op. 2 sonatas were published in at least three editions in the 1790s by the Corri-Dussek company in London as by Madame Dussek. This edition is based on the first publishing. The collections include the famous “C minor Sonata (No. 3)” published and misattributed by Schott as by J. L. Dussek (her husband). Paris editions published by Pleyel (used by Schott) only bear the name Dussek, leading Zabaleta, who recorded and played this piece, to the misattribution.

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