Telemann composed three dozen Fantasias, which were published in 1732. He deliberately set out to juxtapose the French and Italian styles, with the first (published here) and third dozen having Italian titles and tempo markings, and the second dozen French. The editorial aim of these albums has been to present a text that allows as stylish a rendering as possible, bearing in mind that the majority of players will be pianists rather than harpsichordists. Marks of dynamics and of articulation have been added, and so have harmony notes of inner parts, which would have been improvised by the player in an 18th-century performance.

Composed by: Georg Philipp Telemann