CON ARTE E MAESTRIA Virtuoso violin ornamentation from the dawn of the Italian Baroque

Monteverdi String Band In Focus Oliver Webber violin Steven Devine organ & harpsichord Con arte e maestria Giovanni Bassano (c.1561–1617) Gärtner (dates unknown) 1. Ricercata prima [2:29] 9. Toccata [2:34] Virtuoso violin ornamentaon from Cipriano de Rore (c.1515–1565) Biagio Marini the dawn of the Italian Baroque (ornaments by Riccardo 10. Sinfonia ‘L’Orlandina’ [2:09] Rognoni, c.1550–c.1620) 2. Anchor che col parre [3:35] Giovanni Gabrieli (c.1555–1612) Monteverdi String Band In Focus 11. Toccata del secondo tuono [2:16] Giovanni Pierluigi da Oliver Webber violin Palestrina (c.1525–1594) Tomas Luis de Victoria (c.1548–1611) Steven Devine organ & harpsichord (ornaments by Oliver Webber b.1969) (ornaments by Giovanni Basta 3. Deh hor foss’io col vago della luna [4:07] Bovicellim, fl. late 16th century) 12. Dilectus tuus candidus [6:40] Ascanio Mayone (c.1565–1627) 4. Canzon francese prima [2:39] Cipriano de Rore (ornaments by Oliver Webber) Biagio Marini (1594–1663) 13. Signor mio caro [3:50] 5. Sinfonia ‘La Gardana’ [2:06] Oliver Webber Oliver Webber (aer Claudio Monteverdi et al.) (aer Giovanni Bassano) 14. Ciaccona [4:23] 6. Ricercata [1:59] Michelangelo Rossi (c.1601–1656) Thomas Crecquillon (c.1505–c.1557) 15. Toccata nona [3:48] About Oliver Webber: (ornaments by Oliver Webber) 7. Par trop souffrir de fortune Dario Castello (1602–1631) ‘Oliver Webber [bows] with rapier-like eloquence’ ennemie [4:29] 16. Sonata prima [4:05] Gramophone Orlando di Lasso (c.1532–1594) Carlo G (fl. c.1600–1620) About Steven Devine: (ornaments by Girolamo 17. Convers planctum [2:41] dalla Casa, d.1601) ‘[Devine] is authoritave, suave, technically dazzling and delivers immaculately 8. Susanne ung jour [4:36] manicured ornaments that lend brilliance and expressive introspecon when required’ BBC Music Magazine Giovanni Paolo Caprioli (c.1580–c.1627) Con Arte e Maestria: the culminaon Giovanni Basta Bovicelli, and the (ornaments by Oliver Webber) of a virtuoso tradion mysterious Carlo G, we present three 18. Vulneras cor meum [2:57] madrigals, a chanson, a motet and a canzona, Milanese violinist Francesco Rognoni’s each newly ornamented in the style of one Antonio Mortaro (fl. 1587–1610) ornamental showpiece Io son ferito, which of these great masters. (ornaments by Oliver Webber) appears in the second volume of his Selva 19. Canzona ‘La Malvezza’ [4:27] di varii passaggi, 1620, is caponed Modo Il vero modo di diminuir: ornamentaon di passeggiar con arte e maestria – ‘manner in pracce Aurelio Virgiliano (fl. c.1600) of ornamenng with art and mastery’; con 20. [Ricercata] on arte e maestria is used to this day to denote The basis of most ornamentaon during this ‘Vesva i colli’ [1:25] excellence and consummate crasmanship period was diminuon: the creaon of in creave fields from music to cookery, measured paerns of faster notes from Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina jewellery and architecture. slower ones; for example, from a minim we (ornaments by Oliver Webber) can create paerns of four quavers, eight 21. Così le chiome mie [3:44] The work features a breathtaking range of semiquavers, or sixteen demisemiquavers. ornamental devices: runs and florid passages, We are fortunate that a veritable treasure Andrea Gabrieli (c.1532–1585) trills, vast leaps, doed rhythms, repeated trove of diminuon resources from this 22. Intonazione quarto toni [1:24] notes and echoes, all created from a simple period survives: as well as complete works, original melody in minims and semibreves. fully ornamented, oen in mulple versions, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina It represents the culminaon of a fascinang there are treases which not only explain (ornaments by Francesco tradion of solo ornamentaon, which how diminuons are created and how to Rognoni, d. c.1626) flourished especially in northern Italy from apply them, but also give hundreds of 23. Io son ferito [6:08] the early sixteenth to the early seventeenth examples. centuries. Il vero modo di diminuir (’the true manner In this recording we present some of the of diminuon’) appears in the tles of two Total playing me [78:45] more remarkable works of its final generaon, of the treases which have contributed to beginning with Francesco Rognoni’s father, this recording: Girolamo dalla Casa (1584) Riccardo; in the interests of not only and Riccardo Rognoni (1592). That these celebrang but also giving new life to this two ‘true’ methods differ significantly tradion, we also offer something completely reveals the variety of approach among new: in addion to published ornamented individual performers and teachers. works by the Rognonis, Girolamo dalla Casa, Five ornamental personalies col vago della luna, the first of three sengs in this recording of Roman master Giovanni The approach of Girolamo dalla Casa is Pierluigi da Palestrina, whose madrigals were strikingly systemac: for him, the true especially popular as vehicles for virtuoso method consists of the skilful combinaon diminuons. of four essenal subdivisions of the beat: into four, eight, twelve and sixteen. In order The singer Giovanni Basta Bovicelli offers to prepare his readers, he begins with us something quite different: he quavers only, then semiquavers only, disnguishes diminuons, or passaggi, from quavers and semiquavers combined, accen – brief, rhythmically fluid paerns, and so on, ending his first volume with used to connect the notes in a phrase with fully mixed examples, before presenng charm and elegance. The delight in his complete works, fully ornamented in sengs comes from the oen surprising the vero modo, in the second volume. transions and combinaons of passaggi and accen. In this recording, dalla Casa is represented by one of his versions of Susanne ung jour Instrumentalists need feel no guilt at and a newly devised version of a chanson appropriang vocal repertoire: instrucons by the Flemish composer Thomas to imitate the voice are almost universal, Crecquillon, a parcular favourite of and Francesco Rognoni specifically dalla Casa. recommends the vocal part of his trease to instrumentalists for this very reason. In comparison with dalla Casa, Riccardo Bovicelli’s version of Spanish composer Rognoni’s approach diverges more oen Tomas Luis de Victoria’s [Qualis est] from stepwise moon: one characterisc dilectus tuus candidus, replete with rich, figure is a syncopated leap upwards dark textures, is contrasted with a newly followed by a descending scale. Flourishes created version of de Rore’s Signor mio caro: of an octave aer a cadence also feature here, the high tessitura, short phrases and prominently. occasional silences, enhanced by Bovicelli-inspired accen and occasional This style is heard here in his version of the passaggi, contribute to a perfumed, Flemish madrigalist Cipriano de Rore’s ephemeral atmosphere. Anchor che col parre, and in Deh hor foss’io The discovery of the Carlo G manuscript in striking features include a prevalence of his 1609 volume pleads the reader’s bass, is inspired by figuraon from a number 2007 (the author’s name, obscured by a doed rhythms, octave leaps, slurs of various tolerance for occasional rule-breaking in of early seventeenth-century ciaccona sengs, smudge, has never been definively lengths, triplet paerns and an extended, ornamental passages, without which ‘it is as well as ornamental paerns of the confirmed) was a wonderful gi to students elaborate final cadence. impossible to make a beauful effect’. Rognonis. of the early seventeenth century: a collecon of some 300 pages of elaborately The virtuosic treatment of Io son ferito is the Biagio Marini has long been known as one Dario Castello’s two volumes of ensemble ornamented songs (by Carlo G himself as model for the interpretaon of Così le of the most important composers for the sonatas in sl moderno show the emerging well as a selecon of notable chiome mie presented here: the fluid violin in the early seventeenth century; his sonata style – through-composed with short, contemporaries) with fully realised accen and occasional bursts of extravagant sinfonie – brief gems of works which play contrasng secons – which was to connuo accompaniment, it offers a passaggi and energec dong seem fing with the listener’s expectaons – make a characterise much seventeenth-century unique window into how a simple to the character of the madrigal, which perfect foil for the more extended instrumental wring; his figuraon reflects melody and bass line might have celebrates the burgeoning of love amongst diminuons. the ornamental pracces of his behaved ‘in the wild’. Like Bovicelli’s the sights, sounds and fragrances of spring. contemporaries: many of the runs, passages versions, these feature a combinaon of The toccata aributed to one Herr Gärtner and accen which Rognoni et al. classify as brief, rhythmically supple accen and Other instrumental genres of Nuremberg (about whom nothing more ornamental are wrien into Castello’s music. full-blown passaggi. Convers planctum, is known) is found in a precious manuscript a seng from Psalm 29, is followed by a These exploraons of diminuon pracce are collecon from Wrocław which also contains Castello’s sonata prima is introduced by a sensuous Song of Solomon seng by the framed by a selecon of toccatas, ricercars a selecon of diminuons by Francesco toccata by the Roman organist and violinist Bolognese priest Giovanni Paolo Caprioli, and intonazioni which funcon as preludes, Rognoni. Marini spent me in Germany, Michelangelo Rossi; very much in the ornamented especially for this recording and sonatas and canzonas which shine a and it is not hard to imagine a German tradion which extends from Merulo to in the same style. light into a different area of instrumental violinist introducing one of his sonatas Bach, Rossi’s unique voice can be heard in performance. with a similar prelude of their own devising. his idiosyncrac figuraon and exploratory Francesco Rognoni’s bold, modern, harmonic journey. violinisc style, which extends tradional Giovanni Bassano is one notable composer A soulful toccata by the Venean composer models in new direcons, features in whose diminuons do not feature in this Giovanni Gabrieli, and an intonazione of Aurelio Virgiliano’s untled ricercar from his three works: a canzona by the Brescian programme; however, he is represented more celebratory character by his uncle trease on diminuon, Il Dolcimelo, was composer Antonio Mortaro, and two by two ricercars, the second of which was Andrea Gabrieli introduce two of the works chosen to introduce Così le chiome mie Palestrina madrigals – Così le chiome mie especially composed on Bassano’s models. featuring the Hauptwerk organ: Bovicelli’s because it is based on the first part of that and Io son ferito. Dilectus tuus and Francesco Rognoni’s madrigal, Vesva i colli; his style, with more Ascanio Mayone was a Neapolitan maestro Io son ferito. repeated-note figures, resembles Gärtner’s The ornamentaon of the canzona is di capella, organist and harpist, whose more than Bassano’s and is parcularly modelled on Francesco’s treatment of keyboard works were characterised by a The joyful and exuberant Ciaccona, using suited to the violin. another Mortaro canzona, La Pora; its playful flamboyance; the introducon to Claudio Monteverdi’s Zefiro torna ground

Facile est invens addere: creang Performing edions a lasng legacy Edions for tracks 1–4, 6–9, 13, 14, 18, 19, 21 ‘It is easy to add to what has already been and 23 were prepared by Oliver Webber. invented’; this maxim, especially apt to the Track 5: Ed. Christopher Stembridge, Zanibon creave yet tradionally inspired pracce Edion 1982 of ornamentaon, is cited by two of the Track 10: Ed. Francisco Valdivia, Werner Icking musicians featured on this recording: Music Collecon Bovicelli and Francesco Rognoni. Track 11: Ed. G S Bedbrook, Bärenreiter, Kassel, 1958 The process of studying, analysing and Track 12: Ed. Gawain Glenton, Septenary pung into pracce the diverse Edions, Frome, 2018 ornamental styles of these master Track 15: Ed. Kenneth Gilbert, Zanibon musicians has been enlightening and Edion 1991 immensely rewarding. It is sincerely to Track 16: Ed. Boris Medicky, Toronto 2017 be hoped that the materials and methods Track 17: Ed. Elam Rotem, Basel 2016 developed during this exploraon can Track 20: Ed. Bernard Thomas, London Pro be of benefit to current and future Musica Edion, London, 1980 generaons of musicians eager to explore Track 22: Pierre Pidoux, Bärenreiter, this fascinang musical territory. Kassel, 1959

© 2021 Oliver Webber

Three styles of diminuon. Top: Girolamo dalla Casa (1584), ‘mixed’ diminuons from Andrea Gabrieli’s Amor mi strugge il cor; middle: Riccardo Rognoni (1592), characterisc ornamental paerns from Anchor che col parre; boom: Giovanni Basta Bovicelli (1594), ‘accen’ and ‘passaggi’ in Dilectus tuus candidus Musical sources Track 16. Carlo G’ manuscript, Italy, early The Monteverdi String Band Con Arte e Maestria is the first of a series 17th century of microprojects under the banner Track 1. Ricercate, passaggi et cadene, Track 17. Sacrae Canones Vna, Duabusque The Monteverdi String Band is dedicated to Monteverdi String Band In Focus, in which Venice 1585 vocibus concinendae, Modena, 1618 celebrang the sound and style of the early we offer more inmate chamber programmes. Track 2. Primo libro di madrigali a 4 voci Track 18. Canzoni da sonare a 4 voci, Libro violin consort, in both well-established di Perrissone Cambio, con alcuni di primo, Venice, 1600 repertoire and creave new programmes. www.monteverdistringband.com Cipriano Rore, Venice, 1547. Ornaments by Track 19. Il Dolcimelo, Bologna, Civico Our instruments are modelled on originals Riccardo Rognoni: Passaggi per potersi Museo Bibliografico Musicale, ms. C 33 from the early decades of the seventeenth essercitare nel Diminuire terminatamente (c.1600) century; enhanced by pure gut strings in con ogni sorte d’Istromen, Venice, 1592 Track 20. Il Desiderio. Secondo Libro de equal tension, they lend the ensemble a Track 3. Il primo libro de madrigali a 4 voci, Madrigali a Cinque Voci de diuersi Auori, rich, grounded and blended tone. Rome, 1555 Venice, 1566 Track 4. Sec ondo Libro di Diversi Capricci per Track 21. Intonaoni d‘organo, Libro Primo, Our programming has been inspired by the Sonare, Naples, 1609 Venice, 1593 rich cultural milieu of Italy c.1600, and has Track 5. Affe Musicali, op.1, Venice, 1617 Track 22. Il terzo libro delle Muse a 5 voci, included a staged reimagining of Track 6. L’Unziesme Livre [de] Chansons da diversi Eccellenssimi Musici, Venice, 1561 Monteverdi’s Combamento in its original Amoureuses, Antwerp, 1549 Track 23. Selva de Varii Passaggi secondo l’uso context, a collaboraon with playwright Track 7. Tiers livre des chansons a 4-6 pares, moderno, parte seconda, Milan, 1620 Clare Norburn on the life, thought and Louvain, 1560 music of Galileo, and a celebraon of the Track 8. Il Vero Modo di Diminuir, con Tue madrigal in which we interleave ‘modern’ le Sor di Stromen, Venice, 1584 (seventeenth century!) and ancient (sixteenth Track 9. Br eslau Mus.Ms.115, early 17th century century) madrigals with contemporary readings. Track 10. Girolamo Diruta, il Transilvano, Venice, 1597 Immersing ourselves in the repertoire, idioms Track 11. Motecta, Venice, 1572 and literature of Monteverdi’s me helps us Track 12. Regole, passaggi di musica, madrigali to bring extra insight to well-known et mote passeggia, Venice, 1594 repertoire such as the remarkable Vespers Track 13. Il primo libro de madrigali a cinque and the genre-defining operas; MSB and their voci novamento compos, Ferrara, 1550 director Oliver Webber have enjoyed several Track 14. Toccate e corren d’intavolatura collaborave producons with the Brighton d’organo e cembalo, Rome, n.d Early Music Fesval. Track 15.Sonate Concertate in Sl Moderno, Libro Secondo, Venice, 1644 Oliver Webber (violin) bring out qualies missing from earlier recordings’. He teaches baroque violin and An eclecc, internaonal educaon laid the viola at the Guildhall School of Music and foundaons for Oliver Webber’s adventurous Drama. His work on historical ornamentaon approach to historical performance. His styles has pioneered new methods of scienfic studies and passion for historical teaching, leading to an invitaon to Perth, Italian literature and language have inspired Australia in 2022. He was awarded Fellowship programming for his ensemble, Monteverdi of the Higher Educaon Academy in String Band (MSB), whose performances have November 2020. included poetry, sword-fighng and a specially commissioned play on the life Drawing on his studies of Italian language and of Galileo. poetry, he also works with singers on the rhetoric and rhythm of early opera, and has Outside MSB, Oliver enjoys making chamber been coaching singers in the Brighton Early music with the London Handel Players, Music Fesval for several years, working in Passacaglia, and the Bach Players, and can close collaboraon with fesval director oen be seen working as principal and guest Deborah Roberts and stage director leader with Gabrieli, the London Handel Thomas Guthrie. These projects, drawing Orchestra, Early Opera Company, and the together different strands of experse English Baroque Soloists. towards the same ulmate goal – telling a story and moving the audience – are He makes his own gut strings, and his amongst the most arscally rewarding research on this topic has influenced many projects of his career to date. ensembles worldwide. Connecng the worlds of scholarship and performance is a parcular passion; he was engaged by Gabrieli from 2017–19 to run workshops on historical bow-holds, advise on instruments and stringing, and research ornamentaon for their award-winning recordings of Purcell’s King Arthur and Fairy Queen in 2019, of which BBC Music Magazine remarked ‘rediscovered string techniques Steven Devine (harpsichord and organ) regular performer there – including making his Proms direcng debut in August 2007 with Steven Devine enjoys a busy career as a the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He music director and keyboard player working has conducted the Mozart Fesval Orchestra with some of the finest musicians. in every major concert hall in the UK and also across Switzerland. Steven is Music Director He is the principal keyboard player with the for New Chamber Opera in Oxford and with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and them has performed repertoire from Cavalli also the principal keyboard player for The to Rossini. For the Darngton Fesval Opera Gonzaga Band, Classical Opera (The he has conducted Handel’s Orlando and Mozarsts) and performs regularly with Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. He is currently many other groups around Europe. Steven conductor and Arsc Advisor for the is a regular keyboard player with the English Haydn Fesval in Bridgnorth. Monteverdi String Band and took part in their ground-breaking Monteverdi Steven works regularly with the Norwegian Combamento project. He has recorded Wind Ensemble, Trondheim Barokk, the over thirty discs with other arsts and Victoria Baroque Players (BC, Canada) and ensembles and made six solo recordings. Arion Baroque Ensemble (Montreal). His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variaons (Chandos Records) has received crical He teaches harpsichord and fortepiano at acclaim – including Gramophone magazine Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London and describing it as ‘among the best’. The is Early Keyboard Consultant to the Royal complete harpsichord works of Rameau Birmingham Conservatoire and Royal (Resonus) has received five-star reviews Welsh Colleges. from BBC Music Magazine and Steven’s latest recording of Bach’s Italian Concerto Finally, Steven is thrilled to be a member of has been voted Classic FM’s Connoisseur’s the ground-breaking Art of Moog: an choice. Steven has recently released both electronic music group specialising in the books of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier on performance of Bach. Resonus.

He made his London conducng debut in 2002 at the Royal Albert Hall and is now a

More titles from Resonus Classics Instruments www.sonusparadisi.cz; each pipe of the original organ was sampled on three-channel The Gonzaga Band - Venice 1629 Performing pitch: a' = 466 Hz; audio to enable the creaon of a 3D aural The Gonzaga Band Keyboard temperament: ¼ comma mean tone. image, and realised using the Hauptwerk RES10218 virtual pipe organ soware. The wooden Violin midi keyboard was made by Luca Pane, ‘This is a splendid CD [...] spontaneous, musical and Oliver Webber plays a violin by George and the organ case by Jeffery Newton. is a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end.’ Stoppani (2005) based on an original by Early Music Review (5 stars) Antonio and Girolamo Ama, Cremona, Acknowledgements 1595; more informaon is available at www.themonteverdiviolins.org. This project has been generously supported Gut strings in equal tension were supplied by by funding from the Innovaon Department Toro, Aquila and Real Guts. of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. J.S. Bach: Das wohltemperierte Klavier The bow is a copy of a late sixteenth-century (The Well-Tempered Clavier), Volume 1 original in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, We would also like to extend our sincere Steven Devine Vienna (SAM 107), specially commissioned gratude to: RES10239 (2 CDs) for this recording from Philip Brown, The Rev. Christopher Davies and Parish Newbury: www.philipbrownviolins.co.uk Administrator Sam Alder, St John’s Church, ‘[Devine’s readings are flowing and logical, with Loughton; Jamie Savan for supplying and variety brought to the entire set first and foremost Harpsichord seng up the Hauptwerk organ; Elam Rotem by his extraordinarily sensitive articulation.’ Steven Devine plays a single-strung for invaluable advice interpreng symbols in Gramophone instrument by Colin Booth, 1998, based on the Carlo G manuscript; Jerzy Źak for permission a 1533 original by Domenico da Pesauro. to use the Breslau 115 manuscript; Philip Brown for his enthusiasm and experse in Organ creang the bow; and Helen Roberts of Deprived of the possibility of recording on Septenary Edions for creang the Passaggi © 2021 Resonus Limited è 2021 Resonus Limited locaon with a suitable historical organ, we app: an invaluable pracce resource for this Recorded in St John’s Church, Loughton on 10–12 February 2021 opted for a twenty-first century soluon: an repertoire. Engineer, editor & producer: Adam Binks electronic sampling of an original Venean Recorded at 24-bit/96kHz resolution organ. The instrument sampled for this This recording is dedicated to the memory Cover image: Ionic column by binabina (istockphoto.com) purpose, in the church of St Maria d’Alieto, of Margaret Webber, in gratude for a Izola, Slovenia, was built by the Venean lifeme of love and support. RESONUS LIMITED – UK Pietro Nachini (1694–1769), firmly in the [email protected] tradion of Venean organ building stretching www.resonusclassics.com back to Vincenzo Colombi in the sixteenth century. Specificaons can be found at RES10282