There can be no denying the quality and originality of his music. In his study of J. S. Bach (1884 -1899), Spitta mentions the importance of Graupner and his skill in the use of counterpoint, which is also emphasised by several lexicographers writing in Graupner’s own time. He produced a monumental body of work, both in terms of the number of compositions (over two thousand), and of their imagination and the clear stamp of musical ability that they bear. Indeed, he synthesised German tendencies in Baroque music while exploring new stylistic trends. It is precisely the diversity of composition styles he employs that is most impressive: he seems to have achieved a brilliant fusion of contemporary trends.

A catalogue of Graupner’s instrumental works will shortly be published under the direction of musicologists Oswald Bill and Christoph Grosspietsch.

The partitas (or suites) for harpsichord

Graupner’s music for harpsichord is made up of a total of forty-one partitas and three separate pieces. Only seven partitas have been published in modern times, and four of them are in an edition that is now out of print. For the most part, Graupner makes use of the French style, but the Italian style can also be found, especially in the airs. That undeniable taste for counterpoint so dear to the Germans is reflected in his work, most notably in the gigues. In addition to the traditional dances (allemandes, courantes, sarabandes, minuets and gigues), his partitas include movements infrequently employed in the repertoire of the period such as the loure and sommeille (!). The partitas contain between five and fourteen movements.

Graupner was happy composing a variety of sarabandes, like the airs and variations for harpsichord, which we associate with Handel. It is in his courantes that the inventive richness of Graupner can be seen at its best. The characteristics of the French courante and the Italian corrente (which have marked differences) are blended with the most perfect originality in this dance. Graupner establishes his style, in the playful tone characteristic of him, without self-consciousness in these pieces.

When reading his partitas , one finds the degree of innovation and originality truly striking. Graupner was very obviously a vivacious, passionate, cultivated and highly professional man.

Music for harpsichord occupies a special place in the works of Graupner, for two reasons. Firstly, because, unlike the other pieces in his prolific output, it was not composed out of duty, but purely for pleasure and as the spontaneous expression of his own natural talent. Secondly, because 21 of the 41 partitas that have come down to us were published in three collections engraved by his own hand. This is unique in the whole of Graupner’s output. These original editions are priceless documents, elaborated with precision and care and deemed by the composer to be worthy of public circulation. These are their titles: Partien auf das Clavier (Partitas for Harpsichord), Darmstadt, 1718; Monatliche Clavir Früchte (Monthly Fruits for Harpsichord), Darmstadt, 1722; and Vier Partien auf das Clavier unter der Benennung der vier Jahreszeiten (Four partitas for harpsichord named after the four seasons), Darmstadt, 1733.

The other pieces for harpsichord by Graupner exist in the form of hand-written scores or original manuscripts. This is a group of 17 partitas copied by Samuel Endler and preserved in the Darmstadt Harpsichord Book (which also includes partitas by Telemann and Handel).