San Francisco Early Music Society

San Francisco Early Music Society Breathtaking: A Cornetto and a Voice Entwined WHEN: VENUE: Sunday, May 6, 2018 BInG 4:00 PM COnCERT HaLL Program Artists Maurizio Cazzati (1616 –1678) Hana Blažíková, Regina coeli soprano Bruce dickey, Nicolò Corradini (?–1646) cornetto Spargite flores Tekla Cunningham, Biagio Marini (1594 –1663) Ingrid Matthews, Sonata seconda a doi violini violin Joanna Blendulf, Sigismondo D’India (c1582 –1629) viola da gamba Dilectus meus Langue al vostro languir Michael Sponseller, organ and harpsichord Giovanni Battista Fontana (1589–1630) Stephen Stubbs, Sonata 11 a 2 theorbo and baroque guitar Tarquinio Merula (c 1594–1665) Nigra sum Giacomo Carissimi (1605 –1674) Summi regis puerpera —Intermission— Calliope Tsoupaki (b. 1963) Mélena imí (Nigra sum) , 2015 Gio. Battista Bassani (c1650 –1716) Three arias from La Morte Delusa (Ferrara, 1680) “Sinfonia avanti l’Oratorio” “Speranza lusinghiera” “Error senza dolor” Sonata prima a 3, Op. 5 Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725 Three arias from Emireno (Naples, 1697) Rosinda: “non pianger solo dolce usignuolo” Rosinda: “Senti, senti ch’io moro” Emireno: “Labbra gradite” PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE . Please be considerate of others and turn off all phones, pagers, and watch alarms. Photography and recording of any kind are not permitted. Thank you. 2 Notes Breathtaking: violoncelli. He was able, however, to which included innovative composers A Voice And A Cornetto Entwined attract excellent singers as well as such as Giovanni de Macque. d’India string players to the basilica. His travelled extensively, holding positions In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Regina coeli , from a collection of in Turin, Modena and Rome. His cornetto was fabled for its remarkable Marian antiphons published in 1667, monodies, for which he is primarily ability to imitate the human voice. This alternates arioso-like sections with known, were said to be admired by concert is a celebration of the affinity expressive accompanied recitatives, Vittoria archilei and Giulio Caccini, of the cornetto and the human voice— and demonstrates a virtuosity of and he likely met Monteverdi in an exploration of how they combine, vocal writing which is nearly Mantua. We have selected a motet converse and complement each other, instrumental in character. We could and a madrigal of his, both for two whether responding in the manner of a almost say that the imitation of the sopranos, because they allow the voice dialogue or entwining as two equal voice by the cornetto and the violin and the cornetto to entwine in partners in a musical texture. This alternates with an imitation of expressive harmonies while giving the perceived similarity of the voice and instruments by the voice. instrument an opportunity to imitate the cornetto encompassed not only the words being sung. the instrument’s clear and bright nicolò Corradini was a Cremonese sound timbre, but also its agility, organist who held posts in a couple of The Cremonese organist and violinist expressive range, dynamic flexibility, religious institutions in Cremona, Tarquinio Merula was one of the most and articulation, which could make it including the Cappella delle Laudi at the skillful and innovative composers of his sound almost as though the player Cathedral, where he succeeded generation. Outside of his native city, were speaking through his instrument. Tarquinio Merula. His concertato he was active in Lodi and Bergamo Our program, which puts this imitation motets are of particular interest here (where he succeeded alessandro center stage, is called “breathtaking” because they include several examples Grandi), and for a certain time was both because the voice and the with a high voice and a single high organista di chiesa e di camera in the cornetto literally make music with the instrument, in this case cornetto. In his service of Sigismund III, King of breath, and because the imitation, we Spargite flores , the voice and the Poland. In Cremona, Merula was three hope, can will literally take the cornetto pass musical material back times named organist of the cathedral listener’s breath away. and forth in dialogue, with the and maestro of the Cappella delle instrument sometimes imitating and Laudi. His works, both vocal and The Bolognese organist Maurizio interweaving with the voice. instrumental, are characterized by Cazzati was an important, though Occasionally the cornetto elaborates graceful and humorous rhythmic and controversial and sometimes the vocal figures, creating truly melodic turns and frequently demand polemical, figure in the musical life of instrumental patterns. considerable virtuosity from both his city. When he was appointed to singers and instrumentalists. His the post of maestro di cappella at the The almost total lack of biographical setting of Nigra sum , with its especially basilica of San Petronio in the 1650s, information about Sigismondo d’India fresh and arresting opening figure, is he undertook a sweeping and brutal has led to a great deal of speculation no exception. reform of the chapel, firing en masse concerning his origins and training. He all of the cornettists and trombonists, claims on one of his title pages to be Giacomo Carissimi was the most many of whom had given thirty or of noble Sicilian birth. Indications important composer of motets and forty years of faithful service, and point to connections with the circle cantatas in mid-century Rome, and his replacing them with violins and surrounding don Fabrizio Gesualdo, influence spread rapidly to the rest of 3 Europe. Summi regis puerpera is written sonatas, to Giovan Battista Reghino, musical works performed in honor of for two sopranos and two violins. In maestro di cappella in 1641 of the the dead was the oratorio La Morte our version, the cornetto takes over the Chiesa delle Grazie at Padua. It was to Delusa by the Paduan composer role of one of the sopranos. the Monastery of this church, Giovanni Battista Bassani. Bassani, presumably Fontana’s last place of already maestro di cappella of the The sonatas on this concert are by employment, that he bequeathed his famous Accademia della Morte in three of the most important masters manuscripts upon his death, due Ferrara, attained the same position at of the instrument in the 17 th century. probably to the plague, around 1630. the Ferrarese Cathedral in the year Biagio Marini is, together with according to Reghino, who wrote the 1688, very likely as a result of the Giovanni Battista Fontana, dedication to the published collection, success two years earlier of his undoubtedly the most innovative “Gio: Batista Fontana of Brescia was oratorio, standing as it did at the composer for the violin in the first half one of the most singular violin virtuosi center of those important celebrations. of the Seicento, and his reputation as of his age and was known as such not Thus La Morte Delusa is not only of a violinst was considerable on both only in his native land but also in great historical interest for its sides of the alps. He held positions in Venice, Rome and lastly in Padua...” connection to the Battle of Budapest, his native Brescia, in Parma, at Saint The Sonata 11 a 2 on tonight’s program but also because it represents a high Mark’s in Venice, as well as Milan, truly has one foot in the 16th and the point in the musical output of a Vicenza and Bergamo. He also served other in the 17th centuries. Slow- composer who, although relatively as Kapellmeister at the Wittelsbach moving Passages in long notes unknown today, was greatly courts in neuburg an die donau and alternate with exuberant bursts of celebrated by his contemporaries. at düsseldorf. He was among the first to ornamentation which recall the the time this music was written, the write solo pieces for violin (or written-out ornamentation examples cornetto was already beginning its cornetto) with a basso continuo and of an earlier generation. The sonata long slide into obsolescence, and yet pioneered many violin techniques carries the indication “per violino o Bassani gives great prominence to the such as double and triple stopping, cornetto” but it is not entirely clear instrument, prefacing each aria with a scordatura , and tremolo con la’arco . whether this was Fontana’s preference sinfonia in which the cornetto, Giovanni Battista Bassani was one of or that of his editor. accompanied by two violins and basso the most celebrated violinists in the continuo, anticipates the melody to be generation after Marini. He is said to as a centerpiece for our program, we sung. We have created a small suite of have studied in Ferrara with Giovanni invited the Greek composer Calliope arias and sinfonie from this oratorio. Legrenzi, and was held by some to be Tsoupaki to write a new work exploring an even better player than Corelli. the affinity of the cornetto and the While the history of 17th-century Burney, in particular, felt that no one voice. This new composition, which Italian opera does not often involve before him had written so sets the Song of Songs text Nigra sum the cornetto, naples presented a idiomatically for the violin. in Byzantine Greek ( Mélena imí ), is surprising exception in the last decade inspired by the 17th-century idea of a of the century. Both Giovanni “...among the best, excellent”: this is voice and a cornetto in dialogue. The Bononcini and alessandro Scarlatti the way Giovanni Battista Fontana is composer has described the piece as a included arias in a handful of operas described on the title page of his “serene antiphonal lyric moment” with obbligati for the cornetto of posthumous collection of sonatas for between the cornetto and the voice. extreme difficulty and displaying an one, two, and three instruments unusually high tessitura. among these published in Venice in 1641. We owe For many days in September of 1686, is L’Emireno, o vero Il consiglio dell’ombra, nearly all of our biographical the city of Ferrara celebrated the composed by Scarlatti and first information about Fontana, and defeat of the Turks in a great battle at performed at the Teatro Bartolomeo in indeed the very existence of his Budapest.

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