95962 Morel Premier Livre de Pièces de Violle Alejandro Marías viola da gamba La Spagna Jacques Morel c.1690 – c.1740 Premier Livre de Pièces de Violle Suite No.1 in A minor* 17. Allemande la Brillante La Spagna 1. Prélude. Lentement – Vîte 3’47 & Double 2’54 Alejandro Marías (solo) viola da gamba after Colichon by Charles Riché (1997) 2. Allemande 2’00 18. Courante 1’26 Pablo Garrido (continuo) viola da gamba after Colichon by Judith Kraft (1992) 3. Courante 1’54 19. Sarabande l’Aurore 2’06 Alvaro Marías traverso after Rottenburgh by Alain Weemaels (1990) 4. Sarabande l’Agréable 3’32 20. Gigue à l’anglaise 1’27 5. Gigue 1’10 21. Gavotte 1’03 Jordan Fumadó harpsichord ‘à grand ravalement’ 6. La Bretonne. Gratieusement 3’25 22. Fugue. Gayment 3’01 after Ruckers by Titus Crijnen (2013) 7. Menuets I & II 2’05 23. Échos de Fontainebleau 2’00 Suite No.2 in D minor Suite No.4 in G* 8. Prélude 2’03 24. Prélude. Lentement 2’00 9. Allemande la Jolie 1’59 25. Fantaisie. Gayement 0’57 10. Courante la Dacier 1’28 26. Allemande 1’28 11. Sarabande 3’03 27. Courante 1’37 12. Gigue l’Inconstante 1’14 28. Sarabande 2’20 13. Le Follet 2’16 29. Gigue à l'italienne 1’20 14. La Fanchonnette 0’51 30. Rondeau Dauphin 4’18 31. Menuet 0’38 Suite No.3 in D* 32. La Guerandoise & Double 1’15 15. Prélude 2’29 16. Boutade de Sainct Germain 0’58 33. Chaconne en trio 7’05 Recording: 2018, Madrid, Spain Recording, editing and mastering: Jesús Trujillo Recording manager: Alberto Paulos Producer: Lukos Records * first recordings Photographers: Jaime Massieu and Andrés Díaz Cover: Jan Verkolje, A Youth with a Viola de Gamba, c.1672, Wawel Royal Castle, Krakow, Poland 2 p & © 2019 Brilliant Classics 3 One day, while I was studying at Geneva’s Haute École de Musique, news reached the To Monsieur Marais, Ordinary of the music of the King’s chamber Early Music Department that Éditions Minkoff, renowned for publishing impeccable “Sir, it is an act of presumption to present the public with pieces for the viol in the facsimiles of centuries-old scores, was to cease operation. Our initial sadness at this wake of those with which you have already endowed them, works which captivate news turned to gratitude, however, because Minkoff’s owners decided to donate their daily the most delicate ears. But, sir, I enjoyed the invaluable advantage of being your holdings to students at the music school. Through their generosity, many of us were pupil and have spent much time studying your incomparable and heaven-sent gift. I able to acquire a collection of facsimiles that would otherwise have been beyond our therefore believed that the pleasure I have taken in your music might have instilled means at the time. One of the scores I received was the Premier Livre de Pièces de Violle within me some small part of the enthusiasm that is so admired in you, and which by Jacques Morel, a composer I then knew only for his famous Chaconne en trio. produced those wondrous pieces, worthy of the lyre of Apollo himself. Yet that which The more I explored the suites, the more fascinated I became by them. We played most encouraged me, dear sir, is that you did not disapprove of these, my first efforts, Morel’s music for Guido Balestracci and for Jordi Savall, and realised that, much to which allows the hope that what did not displease you may have something which our disbelief, there were no recordings of these works, other than Philippe Pierlot’s will please everyone. If the melodies I have discovered have any charm or naturalness magnificent reading of the Second Suite. The dream that was born seemed utopian at of expression, I owe these qualities to you, and I dedicate my work to you in gratitude first but has ended up coming true, thanks to our persistence and love of music, and and as public acknowledgement of the admiration in which I hold you and of the the faith that so many people have put in this project. respect with which I remain your most humble and obedient servant.” I feel very privileged to have been the first person to have recorded this music, free Morel’s Premier Livre was first published in 1709, two years before Marin Marais’s of any influence other than the experience each of us as performers brought to it – I’m Troisième Livre de Pièces de Viole. Naturally enough, Morel’s music reveals the so grateful to Jordan Fumadó, Pablo Garrido and Alvaro Marías for their enthusiasm, influence of his master, but he makes no attempt to conceal this, and indeed claims it artistry and professionalism. Jesús Trujillo achieved the sound quality I’ve always as an asset. dreamed of, and we couldn’t have hoped for a better producer than Alberto Paulos. That said, Morel was a generation younger and there are certain innovations to © Alejandro Marías be found in the way he writes for the viol. The first of these leaps out as soon as you open the book: whereas Marais wrote the solo part in one volume and the continuo in another, Morel decided to set the two parts out in score, as would then become Jacques Morel standard practice, so that each player could see what the others were playing. Another Very little is known about Jacques Morel. His date and place of birth are unknown – key characteristic of Morel’s music is that he groups his pieces in a more systematic as is his relationship, if any, to other musicians who share his surname – and there are manner than did Marais – no dance is repeated within a single suite, and there is a virtually no references to him in contemporary sources. The most significant thing we move towards what, with Bach, would become the “definitive” order of movements: do know is that he was a pupil of the “father of the viola da gamba”, Marin Marais, prelude–allemande–courante–sarabande–minuet/bourrée/gavotte–gigue. From the to whom he dedicated the Premier Livre de Pièces de Violle: instrumental point of view, Morel’s music is closely tied to French tradition, but there is a noticeable development in the viol fingerings, which are freer from the lute 4 5 tradition that had been such an influence on his predecessors. one of the most inspired pieces in the entire book, the delightful and catchy rondeau The Prélude of the First Suite is slow and solemn to begin with but, as so often Dauphin – dedicated to the Grand Dauphin, Louis of France, eldest son of Louis XIV happens in the French repertoire, is transformed into a rapid, imitative movement. and Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria. The suite ends with a menuet and a brief It is followed by an allemande that makes great use of double stops, a courante with final piece entitledLa Guerandoise. dotted rhythms, the sarabande l’Agréable (“the pleasant one”) and a gigue. The suite Morel’s Premier Livre concludes in perfect style with the wonderful Chaconne en ends with a rondeau entitled La Bretonne and a pair of menuets, the first in the minor trio pour une flûte traversiere, une Violle et la Basse Continuë. Of all his music, this mode, the second in the major. is the only piece that is still regularly performed: six short minutes of music that have The Second Suite’s Prélude seems to emerge from a long D minor pedal note then saved our composer from being unjustly condemned to oblivion. climb through all the registers of the instrument with abundant use of chords and © Alejandro Marías double stops. Next come the allemande la Jolie (“The pretty one”), the courante la Translation by Susannah Howe Dacier, a gentle, dream-like sarabande and the gigue l’Inconstante (“The faithless one”). Two character pieces bring the work to an end: a highly enjoyable rondeau, Le Folet (“The imp”), and La Fanchonnette, reminiscent of a gavotte in feel and Un día, cuando estudiaba en Ginebra, una triste noticia recorrió el Centre de Musique structure. Ancienne: la célebre editorial Minkoff, que durante décadas había publicado lujosos The Third Suite is in D major – one of the brightest of key signatures as well as one e impecables facsímiles de partituras antiguas, cerraba de sus puertas. Sin embargo, of those best-suited to the viol – and has certain unique qualities. The opening Prélude la generosidad de sus propietarios tornó el disgusto en gratitud, ya que decidieron is followed by a lively piece called La Boutade [caprice] de Sainct Germain. Only then regalar sus fondos a estudiantes del Conservatorio. De esta manera, muchos nos do we hear the appropriately dazzling allemande la Brillante and its double; these are hicimos con una colección de facsímiles que difícilmente nos habríamos podido followed by a distinguished courante, the peaceful sarabande l’Aurore (“The dawn”) permitir en aquella época. Entre las partituras que a mí me tocaron estaba el Ier Livre and a gigue à l’anglaise which features long melodic lines and in which at one point de Pièces de Violle de Jacques Morel, un compositor al que entonces sólo conocía por the composer asks for a passage be played in the highest register of the lower strings, su famosa Chaconne en trio. thereby achieving a much darker timbre than would be obtained from these notes A medida que iba descubriendo aquella música me fue fascinando cada vez más.