The sonatas bubble with musicality: they are witty and easy to perform. They were admired 'throughout the kingdom' and placed on an equal footing with those of Corelli. The pieces were 'even played as...
The publication and frequent performance of the Trii led the composer to 'the first rank of his profession'. The fugues are artfully arranged, the airs original and elegantly conceived.
The trio sonatas were best sellers in their day. The witty pieces were (according to Burney) 'acquired, performed and admired longer than any publications of this kind in the kingdom'.
The list of 487 subscribers to the first printing of 1747 testifies to the esteem in which Boyce was held; it reflects the expectations that were placed in the high quality of these masterpieces - and...
