• buxtehude • stradella • schmelzer muffat •

ertzinger oque chamber works chamber oque k

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bar fantasticus pandolfi mealli • jenkins RES10112 Fantasticus Baroque chamber works

Alessandro Stradella (1639-1682) Georg Muffat (1653-1704) 1. Sinfonia No. 22 in D minor [7:51] 7. Passacaglia in G minor (from Apparatus musico-organisticus (1690)) [7:45] Fantasticus Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707) 2. Sonata a 2 in A minor, BuxWV 272 [7:42] Dietrich Buxtehude Sonata and Suite in B flat, BuxWV 273 Rie Kimura baroque violin Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli (c. 1629-c. 1679) 8. Sonata [8:07] Robert Smith viola da gamba & baroque cello 3. Sonata ‘La Castella’ [6:47] 9. Allemanda [2:18] Guillermo Brachetta harpsichord 10. Courant [1:23] Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c. 1620/23-1680) 11. Sarraband [0:49] 4. Sonata a 2 in A minor [6:00] 12. Gigue [1:23]

attr. Augustinus Kertzinger (d. 1678) John Jenkins (1592-1678) 5. Sonatina in D minor [4:50] 13. Fantasia in D minor [4:50]

Antonio Bertali (1605-1669) 6. Sonata a 2 in D minor [6:45] Total playing time [66:38] Stylus fantasticus stylus phantasticus): ‘The fantastic style is suitable for instruments. It is the most free The seventeenth century saw a dramatic rise and unrestrained method of composing; in the status of instrumental music. In earlier it is bound to nothing, neither to words nor centuries, instruments were mainly used to to a melodic subject; it was instituted to double voices or play improvised dances. display genius and to teach the hidden But from 1600 onwards, an instrumental design of harmony...’ Kircher conceived the repertory emerged independent of vocal stylus fantasticus as primarily contrapuntal, and dance music. This new repertory but using freely invented themes rather than increasingly featured idiomatic instrumental the cantus firmus (pre-existing melodies) often techniques, such as multiple-stopping for used in vocal counterpoint. As examples of stringed instruments or rolled chords for the fantastic style, Kircher quoted excerpts keyboardists. For the first time in history, from several pieces, including Froberger’s composers could gain a European reputation Fantasia on the theme Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la principally by writing instrumental music, and a sinfonia for four lutes attributed to as with Heinrich Biber (1644-1704), Arcangelo Lelio Colista (1629-1680). Corelli (1653-1713), Johann Jakob Froberger (1616-1667) and many others. By the eighteenth century, concepts of the stylus fantasticus had broadened. Writing in The emerging repertory of idiomatic 1739, the Hamburg theorist Johann instrumental music posed a compositional Mattheson (1681-1764) defined it as an challenge. How should such instrumental improvised or improvisatory style: ‘a singing works be structured when they had no or playing that comes of free genius or, as words? Should a composer follow dance is said, ex tempore. [...] This style is the rhythms or the logic of counterpoint? Or most free and unrestrained manner of should the piece be a showcase for the composing, singing and playing that one virtuosity of an individual performer? can imagine, for one hits first upon this idea and then upon that one, since one is Fantasticus In 1650 an answer to this dilemma was bound neither to words nor to melody, provided by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius only to harmony, so that the singer or Kircher (1601-1680). In his Musurgia player can display his skill.’ As examples, universale he formulated the notion of Mattheson quoted the rhapsodic openings the stylus fantasticus (also known as of keyboard toccatas by Froberger and Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707); these a free dialogue between the violin and unrestrained outpourings contrasted with violoncello, using rhapsodic improvisatory the contrapuntal pieces cited by Kircher. lines; a more imitative canzona follows, its distinctive theme full of repeated notes. Later Mattheson also extended the notion of the a short contrapuntal duo is heard twice, stylus fantasticus to include improvisatory interspersed by a brief gigue. In the second music for instrumental ensemble. He statement the parts are swapped around, described how in 1666 in Hamburg, a demonstrating Stradella’s command of sonata ‘for two violins and viola da gamba invertible counterpoint. by the young [Kaspar] Förster [c. 1616-1673] was played. Each player was given eight A leading exponent of the stylus fantasticus bars to let his free ideas be heard, in was Dieterich Buxtehude, organist at the accordance with the stylus fantasticus.’ Marienkirche in Lübeck from 1668 until his Mattheson’s description implies that each death. Buxtehude’s output includes many performer improvised over a repeated organ praeludia in improvisatory style, with bass theme. An ostinato bass, reiterated virtuosic flourishes for the hands and feet. hypnotically by the continuo, was the He also used improvisatory devices in his ideal foundation for virtuosic outpourings chamber music. Buxtehude’s Sonata a 2 in by players of melody instruments. Taking A minor, BuxWV 272 consists of two sections Kircher’s and Mattheson’s ideas together, based on ostinatos, linked by a short chordal it is evident that the stylus fantasticus ‘Adagio’. The first ostinato is a sixteen-beat was multifaceted, encompassing theme that is repeated twenty-six times, while contrapuntal textures, unrestrained the violin and gamba wrap roulades, figuration improvisation, and ostinato bass-lines. and even a gigue around it. The second ostinato is built on a jagged theme in the bass; A combination of strict counterpoint and this allows dissonant upper parts, especially improvisatory freedom is heard in the audible in the triple-stopped passages for the Sinfonia a 2 by Antonio Stradella (1639-1682). violin. Stradella worked in Rome until 1677, and later was active in Venice, Turin and Genoa. Buxtehude’s Sonata and Suite in B flat major, Although his output is dominated by operatic BuxWV 273 combines the mesmerising effect music, he also wrote sonatas and concerti of the ostinato with the rhythms of the dance grossi for strings. His sinfonia begins with suite. The piece opens with a 113-bar section based on a fourteen-beat striding ostinato in Another Italian expatriate in Austria was the the bass; the violin and then the gamba have violinist Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli lengthy solos over this ostinato, reminiscent (c. 1629-c. 1679). Little is known about his of Mattheson’s description of individual biography, apart from that he worked for players within an ensemble taking their turn Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in 1660. His to improvise. Later, an ‘Allegro’ section starts Sonata ‘La Castella’ for violin and continuo is with contrapuntal exchange between the dominated by a central ostinato section. melody instruments, but even here Buxtehude Over a theme of four descending notes, the includes short solos for the violin and a violinist uses an array of arpeggiated and gamba over a repeated bass line. The piece scalic figures, with lines that push upwards concludes with four dance movements – an to the instrument’s highest register. This ‘Allemanda’, ‘Courant’, ‘Sarraband’ and ‘Gigue’, ostinato section is framed by free sections all linked by thematic likenesses. Buxtehude for the violin that combine cantabile writing later revised this piece as his Sonata, op. 1 with frenzied figuration. no. 4 (BuxWV 255), for which he removed the dance movements, possibly so the piece Inspired by these Italians in Austria were could be used in church. indigenous composers such as Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c. 1620/23-1680). Possibly a pupil The stylus fantasticus in ensemble music of Bertali, Schmelzer spent his entire career was cultivated with particular intensity at at the Viennese court, where he was ennobled the imperial court of Vienna, as well as in in 1673 for his musical achievements. His the surrounding Austrian lands. The rich Sonata a 2 in A minor is more contrapuntal musical life of the Viennese court benefited and tightly organised than many of the other from Italian expatriates such as Antonio works on this recording; the violin and gamba Bertali (1605-1669), who worked there from either imitate a single theme closely, or one 1624 until his death. His Sonata a 2 begins instrument plays a plain counter-subject with a cantabile violin melody, against which against the running semiquavers in the other the viola da gamba interjects rapid flourishes. instrument. In later sections, both melody instruments cascade downward in falling figures; there Another feature of Austrian string music are solos for the violin and then the gamba; was a tendency for extreme virtuosity, as and both instruments unite for a triple-time heard in the Sonatina for viola da gamba passage. attributed to Augustinus Kertzinger (d. 1678). Kertzinger was a Benedictine monk who was Although the stylus fantasticus was cultivated Kapellmeister at the cathedral in Prague and with particular intensity in German-speaking the church of St Stephen’s in Vienna. The lands, a version of the style was also found Sonatina is a quicksilver composition built in England. During the late-sixteenth century, out of many short sections, including scalic English composers such as William Byrd wrote flourishes, virtuosic displays of multiple contrapuntal keyboard fantasias; these pieces stopping, and snatches of two gigues. Often arguably inspired the contrapuntal notion of a small rhythmic or melodic figure ricochets fantasia subsequently found on the Continent. across the instrument’s register from the John Jenkins (1592-1678) applied the English highest to the lowest notes. fantastic style to the viol consort that was favoured among amateur musicians of the Pre-eminent among the next generation of early to mid-seventeenth century. His Fantasia Austrian instrumentalists was Georg Muffat in D minor for treble, bass viol and keyboard (1653-1704), who worked at Salzburg, Prague contains imitative sections with the long- and Passau, and also studied with Jean Baptiste breathed, irregular phrases typical of English Lully (1632-1687) in Paris and Bernardo viol music; there is also rapid figuration in Pasquini (1637-1710) in Rome. In his music, dialogue between the violin and gamba, Muffat mingled Italian and French styles in a plus a pleasing turn to the major mode in cosmopolitan fashion, as can be heard in the middle of the piece. his keyboard Passacaglia from Apparatus musico-organisticus (1690). The genre of © 2012 Stephen Rose the passacaglia arose in Mediterranean lands as a guitar improvisation over a repeated Stephen Rose is a senior lecturer in music at Royal bass-line. Muffat transformed the passacaglia Holloway, University of London. His research focuses on German music 1500–1750 in its social, material and with the French technique of rondeau, performing contexts. He directs Early Music Online, and bringing the opening theme back every is a regular contributor to the Oxford University Press sixth variation. In between these statements journal Early Music. Among his many publications is of the opening theme, Muffat offers variations The Musician in Literature in the Age of Bach on its basic harmonies. Across the whole (Cambridge University Press, 2011). piece, Muffat steadily increases the rhythmic intensity, moving through quavers, then semiquavers, arpeggiated figures, and finally demisemiquaver tirades. Fantasticus More titles from Resonus Classics Fantasticus is an ensemble based in the Netherlands. Made from three individuals Mendelssohn: Octet Op. 20 with a wealth of experience on stage, its World premiere recording of original 1825 version members are prize winners of important Performed on gut strings early music competitions (Bruges, Van Eroica Quartet and Friends Wassenaer, Premio Bonporti) and play with RES10101 the most established Baroque orchestras, ‘Altogether it’s a splendid performance – a must for including the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, all who treasure this masterpiece.’ De Nederlandse Bachvereniging and Bach BBC Music Magazine – Chamber Disc of the Month Collegium Japan. The combination of violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord was very popular during the whole baroque period Ravel & Debussy: String Quartets Inspired by the gloriously virtuosic music and this allows the group to bring consistently Performed on gut strings from the end of the 17th century, from which varied programmes to our audiences. Eroica Quartet the name Stylus fantasticus came, the aim RES10107 of the ensemble is to recreate repertoire from The three members, Rie Kimura, Robert the early seicento until the late-Baroque Smith and Guillermo Brachetta (Japan, UK ‘Refreshingly rethought interpretations of a classic searching and exploring the extravagance and Argentina) all came to the Netherlands quartet coupling [...] thought-provoking deeply satisfying performances’ that flourished when composers and to profit from the fertile early music scene. The Strad – ‘The Strad Recommends’ instrumentalists dared to traverse the They spent time learning from the pioneers established limits of the normal. of the early music movement at the conservatoires of The Hague and Amsterdam From the florid excesses of Biber, through before themselves becoming a part of the © 2012 Resonus Limited thriving Baroque music life in Holland. As è 2012 Resonus Limited the unrestrained harmonic richness of Recorded in the Oude Dorpsk erk, Bunnik, Holland on 19-20 April 2012 Rameau and the ravishing melodic imagination individuals and as an ensemble, their Producer, Engineer and Editor: Adam Binks of Pandolfi Mealli, to the vividness and music takes them all over the Netherlands Photography © 2012 Fantasticus passion of the forerunners of romanticism and indeed all over the world. Recorded at 24-bit / 96kHz resolution Cover image: Spring (1573) by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) as depicted by the generation after Bach, Fantasticus makes no compromises with www.fantasticus.nl DDD – MCPS regard to authentic performance, fearlessly trespassing on the borders of RESONUS LIMITED – LONDON – UK correctness. [email protected] www.resonusclassics.com RES10112