Sonata for Violin and Piano or Harpsichord

Ivan Mane Jarnović (1747 – 1804) was a violin virtuoso and composer during the 18th century. His career spanned Europe as he performed and/or sojourned in almost all major centres including Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, St Petersburg, Vienna, Stockholm, Basel, London, Dublin, amongst others. It appears he was a pupil of Antonio Lolli and he was an acquaintance of Joseph Haydn, with whom he shared concert programmes in London. Jarnović composed about 50 chamber instrumental pieces, 22 violin concertos (17 preserved), and is known for having introduced the romanza as a slow movement into the structure of the violin concerto. The sonata version of the 6th Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, clearly A Favourite Sonata, as was stated in the title of the work, was arranged by the composer himself in 1792 for piano or harpsichord with violin accompaniment. It was published in London the same year (Edition Longman and Broderip). Although many of Jarnović’s compositions fell into oblivion soon after his death, the Romance from the 6th concerto, arranged for violin and piano by Henry Tolhurst, was published by Joseph Williams in New York in 1892, a hundred years after the London sonata.