Vergine Bella Italian Renaissance Music
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CHAN 0683 BOOK 14/06/2012 09:24 Page 2 Vergine bella Italian Renaissance Music premiere recording Marchetto Cara (c. 1465–1525) 1 S’io sedo a l’ombra 3:15 Carolyn Sampson; Robert Meunier lute in A Francesco Spinacino (fl. c. 1507) 2 Recercare 2:06 Robert Meunier lute in G premiere recording in this vocal ensemble version Marchetto Cara 3 Aimè, ch’io moro 3:50 Vocal ensemble Anonymous 4 Pavana 3:33 Guy Ross (lute I), Robert Meunier lute in E premiere recording Facsimile of ‘Sio sedo a l’ombra’ by Marchetto Cara from Marchetto Cara ‘Tenori e contrabassi col sopran in canto figurato…, libro 5 Se non soccorri, amore 1:47 secondo’ (1511) Julian Podger; Robert Meunier lute in E, Guy Ross Bartolomeo Tromboncino (1470–after 1534) 6 Che debo far? 2:34 Clare Wilkinson; Robert Meunier lute in E 3 CHAN 0683 BOOK 14/06/2012 09:24 Page 4 Marchetto Cara Francesco da Milano (1497–1543) 7 Fugga pur chi vol amore 2:26 13 Recercare 1:50 Carolyn Sampson; Robert Meunier lute in A Robert Meunier lute in G Bartolomeo Tromboncino premiere recording 8 Ave, Maria, gratia plena 1:52 Marchetto Cara Julian Podger; Guy Ross 14 Si oportuerit me teco mori 2:30 premiere recording Carolyn Sampson; Robert Meunier lute in A Marchetto Cara premiere recording 9 Ave, victorioso e sancto legno 2:45 15 Si bella è la mia donna 2:39 Vocal ensemble Julian Podger; Robert Meunier lute in E, Guy Ross Francesco Spinacino 16 O mia cieca e dura sorte 6:49 10 Recercare 2:40 Clare Wilkinson; Robert Meunier lute in E Robert Meunier lute in G premiere recording Bartolomeo Tromboncino Innocentius Dammonis (fl. c. 1508) 11 Poi che volse la mia stella 3:36 17 Virtù, che fai in questo miser mondo? 3:34 Carolyn Sampson; Robert Meunier lute in A Vocal ensemble premiere recording in this vocal ensemble version Marco dall’Aquila (c. 1480–after 1538) Diomedes (fl. c. 1508) 18 Recercare 1:21 12 Dolores mortis 2:45 Robert Meunier lute in G Vocal ensemble 4 5 CHAN 0683 BOOK 14/06/2012 09:24 Page 6 Vergine bella premiere recording Despite the plethora of sources of lute. Anonymous sacred While many sources of the period 19 Salve, victrice e gloriosa insegna 2:10 and secular music from Italian courts, concentrate on a notated and Vocal ensemble cathedrals and individuals dating from sophisticated compositional style, the decades around 1500, the more reflecting the work of international Bartolomeo Tromboncino important traditions were perhaps the polyphonists, there are also sources 20 Vergine bella 5:44 unwritten ones – traditions that we that show adaptations of the unwritten, Julian Podger; Robert Meunier lute in E, Guy Ross have or only occasionally written, traditions. TT 60:54 only begun to trace and understand The musical taste of a patron could during the last few decades. In fact, embrace both traditions, as was the Carolyn Sampson soprano one of the leading musicians of the case, for example, with Ercole I d’Este Clare Wilkinson contralto second half of the fifteenth century has in Ferrara. The less conventional Julian Podger tenor left us no music or poetry at all. He was unwritten styles stress the importance Robert Meunier lute/director Pietrobono (?1417–1497), famous of the vernacular and reflect the with poet, singer and lutenist, who worked interests of humanist circles, not least Tessa Bonner • James Gilchrist • Julian Podger • at the Ferrarese court until his death. those in the courts of northern and Jonathan Arnold vocal ensemble Pietrobono was highly regarded, the central Italy. They looked back to a Guy Ross lute subject of Latin epigrams and of classical tradition in which music was medals cast by Pisanello. His playing believed to have the marvellous power was described in poems by another to arouse or soothe the listener. A lute Robert Meuniersix-course in A by Paul Thomson, London 1985 Robert Meuniersix-course in G by Paul Thomson, London 1984 great performer of the time, Antonio performer such as Giustinian was Robert Meuniersix-course in E by Paul Thomson, Bristol 1998 Cornazzano (c. 1430–1484). praised for his ability to sing sweet Guy Ross seven-course in E by Stephen Gottlieb, London This recording celebrates the songs to the accompaniment of an 1981 traditions that relied on such instrument, a style which, ‘contrary to performers, and the two most popular the habit of the ancients, is better Pitch: A = 440 Hz instruments of the time: the voice and known nowadays to the people than to 6 7 CHAN 0683 BOOK 14/06/2012 09:24 Page 8 learned men’, in the words of one harmonic texture but being superfluous writers as Galeotto, Bembo, Serafino dall’Aquila (1466–1500), writer, demonstrating the high esteem nonetheless. With the passage of time Castiglione, Serafino dall’Aquila and, regarded as the brightest star of in which this practice of improvised or the four-part texture became more increasingly, Petrarch, the fourteenth- secular music by the humanist Paolo prepared performance of poetry was normal and the inner voices more century poet whose influence spread Cortese in his book De cardinalatu held. active and functional, looking forward to throughout the sixteenth century. (1510). Other forms, especially the The genres of the frottola lie at the the early development of the madrigal. Leaders among these musical barzelletta (see Poi che volse la mia heart of this repertoire. The nature of Two examples of this transitional style performers were Cara (c. 1465–1525) stella), became more popular. Settings the individual voices of the songs is are performed on this and Bartolomeo Tromboncino of sonetti and odi were less common, clearly tied to the practice of the disc: Marchetto Cara’s Si bella è la mia (1470–after 1534), both lutenist implying perhaps that these forms were improvisors and to the tradition of the donna and Se non soccorri, amore singers employed by the Gonzaga performed within a more limited style; solo lute song in which the voice sings from Canzoni, frottole e capitoli da family in Mantua and inspired by the models for performing both exist in the cantus and the lute usually plays diversi eccellentissimi musici, libro presence and enlightened patronage Petrucci’s books. two parts below that of the singer. secondo de la croce, published in there of the Marchioness, Isabella With the serious, sometimes Such arrangements were published by Rome by Valerio Dorico in1531. They d’Este. Both were highly respected, mocking, themes of unrequited love, Franciscus Bossinensis in his two are played with two lutes, each taking and also in demand elsewhere: Cara youthful exuberance, and blindness in books one of the inner voices. visited the Marquess in prison in love, these of Tenori e contrabassi intabulati col Not surprisingly, given the roots of Venice, and performed in that city with texts offer the performer a wide range sopran the tradition, settings of frottole are Isabella’s lute tutor, Giovanni of possibilities for expression, including in canto figurato from 1509 and 1511, characterised by a strong melodic line, Testagrossa. In 1515 he entertained different tempi and subtle nuances that continuing in direct descent from the calling for a skilful and precise display the Venetian ambassadors in Mantua, respond to the rhythm as well as the unwritten tradition of the fifteenth of vocal proficiency, supported by performing for them after dinner, again content of the texts. Castiglione, in his century. However, when written down, simple harmonic structures and strong with a second lutenist. The Venetians Il cortegiano (The Courtier) of 1528 frottole appeared mostly in four parts, cadences, and by a subtle rhythmic stated that they had never heard (though reflecting an earlier period), giving rise to different possibilities for drive which is governed by the text. anything better. illustrates this in his description of two instrumentation. They survive in this Writers of the period stressed that the The frottola comprised a number of different performers: form in the eleven volumes of Frottole length of syllables had to be observed, different poetic forms, each presuming Bidone’s style of singing is so skilful, published in Venice byOttaviano and this gives to the rhythm of the repetitions of a small number of quick, vehement, impassioned and varied Petrucci between 1504 and 1514. Here music a certain springiness and musical segments. The strambotto, in its melodies that everyone who listens the altus part has been added to the elegance. Alongside works of their own, considered the most elevated of the is moved and is inflamed… our Marchetto original three-voice work, filling out the the frottolists would set poems by such forms, was particularly the province of Cara is no less emotional in his singing, 8 9 CHAN 0683 BOOK 14/06/2012 09:24 Page 10 but with a softer harmony he makes the that is completely chordal or, at most, De cardinalatu describes this are moving away from improvisatory soul tender and enters it calmly and in a displaying some sort of simple inner instrument as having a wider range of traditions and looking toward a manner full of mournful sweetness. figuration. Of Petrucci’s two books of colours than the contemporaneous vernacular genre, the madrigal, which A parallel, but distinct, repertoire can Laude (both 1508), the first contains Spanish vihuela which had unison would fuse features of the styles of the be found in the lauda, forming a the collection of Innocentius stringing throughout: the effect is improvisors with elements tradition Dammonis, a friar of noticeable about three-quarters of the characteristic of the well-trained of devotional music that can be traced S.