Johan Helmich Roman’s 12 keyboard sonatas, composed c. 1735-37, are veiled in mystery, as it is not known why he wrote them nor what instrument...

Johan Helmich Roman’s 12 keyboard sonatas, composed c. 1735-37, are veiled in mystery, as it is not known why he wrote them nor what instrument they were intended for. In 1746 he assembled the pieces, each consisting of between three and seven movements, into a single manuscript. They remained unpublished, however, and as Roman did not provide any titles to them, they have since been referred to both as ‘suites’ and ‘sonatas’. Whatever the label, this collection testifies to a period of great stylistic diversity and change, as observed by a composer who remained wide-open to new developments.