An Overview of the Keyboard Music of Bernardo Pasquini (1637–1710) John Collins

An Overview of the Keyboard Music of Bernardo Pasquini (1637–1710) John Collins his year we commemorate the 300th new seven-volume edition, under the Contrapuntal pieces and sonatas by Bernardo Pasquini included in the Haynes edition Tanniversary of the death of Bernardo general editorship of Armando Carideo No. Title Key Time signatures Length Pasquini. Although much attention has and Edoardo Bellotti, was issued in 2002; 1 Capriccio D minor C-C-3/2-C 169 bars been given in the past few decades to the fi rst volume contains 60 versets and 2 Capriccio G minor C(4/2)-3/2 (two sections)-6/4-C 103 bars Pasquini’s dramatic and vocal music, of a pastorale from a recently discovered Sigue (to above) G minor 3/4 binary form 54 bars which the scores for twelve operas and manuscript in Bologna, edited by Fran- 3 Fantasia E minor C (incomplete) 57 bars seven oratorios in addition to many can- cesco Cera. The pieces from the Lands- 4 Ricercar D minor C(4/2) two sections 100 bars tatas and motets are known to survive, berg manuscript are included in volumes 5 Ricercar con fuga G major C(4/2) two sections-C-4/2 (two sections)- in più modi 3/4(6/4)-C-6/4-12/8 345 bars his extensive corpus of keyboard music 2–5, with the pieces from MS 31501 6 Canzona Francese G major C (two sections) 32 bars has only comparatively recently received in volumes 6 and 7. A further volume 7 Canzona Francese F major C-6/4 55 bars the attention it deserves. Considered one containing pieces from other sources, 8 Canzona Francese A minor C-6/8(3/4)-incomplete 164 bars of the major Italian composers for key- including as yet unpublished fugues in 9 Fuga G minor C 24 bars board between Frescobaldi (d. 1643) and three and four voices as well as pieces of 10 Sonata D minor C 44 bars Domenico Scarlatti (b. 1685), Bernardo uncertain attribution, is in preparation. 11 Sonata C major C 43 bars Pasquini, teacher of Francesco Gaspa- This edition is far more accurate but un- 105 Sonata Elevazione E minor C 48 bars rini (author of the infl uential L’Armonico fortunately much harder to obtain; see 106 Sonata F major C (two sections, second headed pensiero) 73 bars 139 Ricercar G minor C 56 bars Pratico al Cimbalo, Venice 1708), left the bibliography at the end of this article 140 Ricercar G minor C 83 bars well over 200 pieces for keyboard. for full details of these editions. Below I shall summarize Pasquini’s Sources and early editions extant keyboard music by genre; despite Figure 1d. Fantasia in D minor: example of variation technique The great majority of Pasquini’s works its shortcomings, I have used the AIM are preserved in four autograph manu- edition, and all numbers and titles cited scripts, including 121 in the autograph are from this edition. Because of their MS of Landsberg 215. A further partial extremely limited interest to the average autograph section is included in British player, I have not included the fascinat- Library MS 31501, I–III; to be found ing fi gured-bass sonatas for one and for in part I are the 14 sonatas for two bassi two players, or the fi gured-bass versos, in continui, 14 sonatas for basso solo, and in this discussion. Figure 2a. Canzona rhythms: traditional dactyl (no. 7) and repeated notes (no. 8) parts II and III no fewer than 314 short versi, also in fi gured-bass format. More Contrapuntal works substantial works in MS 31501, part I, Pasquini is known to have made cop- include a long Tastata, a Passagagli with ies of the works of Palestrina and Fresco- 24 variations, a set of variations on the baldi, the infl uence of the latter being Follia and, at the end of the section, nu- identifi able in both the toccatas and the merous short arie, more of which are to contrapuntal works. Only eleven pieces be found in part II. A few toccatas are that fall into this category seem to have also to be found in British Library MS survived, and two of these are incom- Figure 2b. Canzona rhythms: traditional dactyl (no. 7) and repeated notes (no. 8) 36661, which almost certainly predates plete. Those that survive are variable in the autographs by some years. quality, but several of them demonstrate Very few of his works were published the continuation of the variation tech- during his lifetime; three pieces enti- nique so prevalent in Frescobaldi—they tled Sonata, ascribed to N.N. of Roma, are included in book 1 of the Haynes edi- were published in 1697 in a collection tion. The fi rst piece, in D minor, is en- by Arresti, two of which were included titled Capriccio by Haynes (although in in an English “abridged” edition, and the manuscript it is entitled Fantasia); its backward-looking work in quarter and 16th notes taking over again in bar 66. other pieces were included in a collec- fi rst section closes in the dominant and eighth notes. The fourth piece, a ricercar A deceleration achieved via a cadence tion of toccatas and suites published in second section in the tonic. Both sec- in 4/2, is also slow-moving, on an archaic leads to a section barred in 3/4 (although 1698 by Roger of Amsterdam, which tions move mainly in quarter and eighth subject that proceeds through its 100 bars headed 6/8), which starts in bar 106 and also appeared in England in 1719 and notes. In the third section the subject is in half and quarter notes, with further runs to bar 157. Of the next section en- 1731. Others were included in assorted introduced in 16th notes, followed by subjects appearing during the piece. titled Alio modo la tripla, only seven bars manuscripts; see bibliography for fur- a triple-time section in 3/2. The piece By far the longest piece at some 345 survive, a great pity since this piece is of ther details. In the preface to his edition concludes with a return to C time, the bars is the Ricercare con fuga in più a high standard (see Figure 2a–2b). The of MS 964 at Braga, Portugal, Gerhard subject in its original time being accom- modi. This piece is in many sections, in- ninth piece, of 24 bars, entitled Fuga, is Doderer has speculated that some of the panied by fl orid 16th-note writing (see cluding the subject in diminution to half an example of very loose imitative writ- over 30 Italian (mainly Roman) composi- Figures 1a–1d). and quarter notes from bar 69, a return ing; the subject in the RH has LH pas- tions included therein (on folios 218–230 to original values from bar 123, a sec- sagework beneath it immediately. and 253–259) may well have been com- Figure 1a. Fantasia in D minor (no. 1, tion in 6/4 from bar 209 to 246, which Of the two pieces entitled Sonata, the posed by the school of Pasquini, if not by Haynes edition): example of variation includes 16th-note writing, a section in fi rst is also a loosely fugal work with a Pasquini himself; certainly some of his technique C time that closes in bar 265 followed by subject that opens with an ascending run compositions seem to have been known a further section in 6/4 to bar 311, after of six 16th notes followed by an eighth throughout Europe. which 12/8 takes over to the close of the note, another eighth note an octave be- Pasquini’s compositions for keyboard piece. There is scope for shortening this low, and then returning to the note—now cover all the main genres of his time, piece, which makes considerable de- a quarter—before falling a tone, where embracing some seventeen dance suites mands upon the performer. the sequence is repeated a third below (although the term suite is not used in Of the three pieces entitled Canzone the original opening note. The second the manuscripts) as well as single move- Figure 1b. Fantasia in D minor: example Francese, the fi rst in C major runs to sonata opens with a short toccata-like ments, fourteen variations on both self- of variation technique only 32 bars, the second in F opens with fl ourish over a pedalpoint, followed by composed arias and stock basses, four the typical canzona rhythm of quarter quarter-note chords modulating to the passacaglias, sonatas including the 28 fi g- note followed by two eighth notes and dominant; the second section is imita- ured bass pieces mentioned above, over has a second section in 6/4, and the third tive, the subject rising a fi fth in eighth 30 toccatas and tastatas, about a dozen piece in A minor opens with six repeated and 16th notes, and has similarities to a contrapuntal works, and a large number eighth-note Es (the repeated note fugal Corellian fugue. Both were included un- of versets. His numerous pupils in Rome subject was very common in Germany as der the name of “N. N. di Roma” in a included Casini, Zipoli, and possibly Du- well as Italy, with examples by Reincken, collection of 18 sonatas for organ by vari- rante and Domenico Scarlatti, in addi- Figure 1c. Fantasia in D minor: example Pachelbel, Kerll, and Buttstedt, among ous authors printed in Bologna ca. 1697, tion to J.

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