Presents

H. Aimé Garnery

Three Grand Trios for 2 Violins and Violoncello

None of the standard or non-standard music dictionaries and encyclopedias mention this name. Even Google comes up with nothing. And while we have no definitive proof, we do not believe that H. Aimé Garnery (17??-18??) is this composer's real name. Despite many hours spent searching dozens of reference books, virtually all of what we have gleaned is from having carefully examined the title page to the trios and the music itself. Here is the little we know: Though hardly conclusive, the composer most likely was a man as Aimé is the masculine, the feminine name would be Aimée. Of course, the composer could have been a woman hiding behind a man's name as Mel Bonis did, but this was unheard of back in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The dedication on the title page to the trios reads Dédiés aux mânes son pèrer (dedicated to my father) which could be either masculine or feminine. The title page also indicates that the music was published by the prominent early 19th century Parisian publishing house Melles Erard, a branch of the famous Parisian piano makers. No opus number is listed. The title page is signed F. Erard, most likely Marie Francoise Erard, one of the owners. Based on this signature which is also found on title pages from other works put out by Melles Erard, we believe the trios were published around 1820 but composed some two or three decades earlier as they are firmly in the classical rather than romantic idiom. While most likely the composer was French, perhaps he or she was Swiss French from the Valais region of Switzerland. This surmise is based on the subtitle of the final movement to Trio No.3 Rondeau Valaisain, the Valais being a canton in Switzerland.  Please contact us should you find information about this composer and we will be pleased to offer you a work from our catalog at no cost.

Though these are very nicely written and appealing trios, unsurprisingly, there are no commercial recordings, however we did find an amateur group performing two movements from the second trio. We ourselves have played these trios and can recommend them to you.

Parts: $24.95