L'armonia sonora: Continuo Orchestration in Monteverdi's orfeo Stephen Stubbs Early Music, Vol. 22, No. 1, Monteverdi II. (Feb., 1994), pp. 86-89+91-93+95-98. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0306-1078%28199402%2922%3A1%3C86%3ALSCOIM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y Early Music is currently published by Oxford University Press. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/journals/oup.html. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. The JSTOR Archive is a trusted digital repository providing for long-term preservation and access to leading academic journals and scholarly literature from around the world. The Archive is supported by libraries, scholarly societies, publishers, and foundations. It is an initiative of JSTOR, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to help the scholarly community take advantage of advances in technology. For more information regarding JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. http://www.jstor.org Fri Nov 9 18:49:57 2007 Performing matters Stephen Stubbs L'armonia sonora: continuo orchestration in Monteverdi's Orfeo n performing Italian music of the early 17th century, the modern Iinterpreter must often answer the question, 'Which instrument or combination of instruments should realize the bass?' Several publica- tions from the first decade of the 17th century shed light on the norms and expectations of execution and instrumentation of the basso con- tinuo in various kinds of music, but only the score of Monteverdi's Orfeo gives us a series of indications for the changing orchestration of the bass in a specific musical context. To understand fully the meaning of these indications we should first review the most import- ant information from other sources. Lodovico Viadana, in his Cento concerti ecclesiastici (Venice, 1602), claims to be responding to the practical needs of church musicians in composing music for one to four voices with a bass line for the organ ('con il Basso continuo per sonar nel Organo Nova Inventione'). His important rules for the execution of the bass mention no medium other than the organ. Giulio Caccini, in his foreword to Le nuove tnusiche (Florence, 1602), explains the aims of 'the new music' for solo voice and basso continuo. To achieve the desired effect of musical speech (in armonia favellare), these compositions must be performed with a certain noble sprezzatura. This humanist term, borrowed from Castiglione's I1 corte- giano (1528), is difficult to translate, but Caccini's further instructions Stephen Stubbs is professor of lute and historical performance make it clear that he means a stylistically informed freedom to adapt Dractices at the Akademie fur tempo, dynamics, rhythm and ornamentation in order better to serve klte Musik and the ~och&hule the meaning of the text.' In keeping with this flexibility of perfor- der Kunste in Bremen. He is mance, Caccini says that the singer may sing to the accompaniment of the director Of the a single chitarrone or other string instrument (contemporary manu- Tragicomedia' which has scripts containing Caccini's monodies with tablature for lute make it issued two Monteverdi recordings. He has directedstaqed Derform- clear that this was a common alternative)' without being forced to antes of all three of~int&erdij accommodate himself to others. Caccini may have self-accompani- extant operas. ment in mind here, although not exclusively, as he goes on to praise EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 1994 87 86 EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 1994 the particular skill in accompaniment of Antonio on moving the listener to experience the most di- Naldi, an early chitarrone player. In the entire fore- verse affetti-pity and joy, tears and laughter. The word, only the chitarrone is specifically mentioned means to achieve this end are a constant variety of for the realization of the bass, and in one phrase musical, poetic, dramatic and visual effects. In par- Caccini calls the continuo 'il Basso per lo ticular, as regards our subject, 'Signor Emilio would Chitarone', just as Viadana had called his 'il Basso praise the changing of instrumentation to conform continuo per sonar nel Organo', Caccini says that to the affetto of the singer.' These instruments, in the chitarrone is the instrument best suited to ac- order not to be seen, should play behind the scenes company the voice (in particular the tenor voice). and must be played well (or sonorously) and Combinations of instruments simultaneously should vary in number depending on whether one realizing the bass (if this was indeed the form of plays in a theatre or chamber. He also warns that notation used) are recorded as early as the inter- such recitational music should not be played to an medi to Bargagli's La pellegrina at the Florentine audience of more than 1,000 people, as this would wedding celebrations of 1589.~Vittoria Archilei make it impossible to understand all of the words sang once to a large lute and two chitarroni, and at and might cause the singers to force their voices another point to a lute, a chitarrone and a lirone. and lessen the affetto. To illustrate some continuo On the same occasion Peri sang to a single chitar- combinations, the author says that the lirone, harp- rone and Caccini played the harp; both composed sichord and chitarrone make an excellent effect to- music for the celebrations, as did Cavalieri. These gether,5 as do the soft organ with a ~hitarrone.~No three were to engage in earnest competition for the mention is made of where in the music one might glory of having invented the new style of recitar best deploy these groupings. The only specific as- cantando and theatrical productions in stile rappre- signment of continuo instruments is given almost sentativo that would result in three virtually simul- as a stage direction: 'Piacere and his two compan- taneous publications in 1600/1601-Peri's and Cac- ions would do well to have instruments in their cini's rival settings of Rinuccini's L'Euridice and hands to play while they sing. One should have a Emilio de' Cavalieri's Rappresentatione di Anima, et chitarrone, another a Spanish guitar and the third a di Corpo (Rome, 1600).4 little Spanish tambourine.' The music for Piacere None of these publications contains continuo in- and his companions is in the light dance-song style strumentation in the scores; however, Cavalieri often called 'canzonetta' or 'villanella', which is de- (who had won the race to the press) included a rived from the Neapolitan villanesca.7 The copy of highly informative foreword which makes several the Rappresentatione now housed at the Biblioteca pertinent observations. One would assume that Universitaria in Urbino contains a few chords jot- this foreword is by the publisher, Alessandro ted in tablature by a (presumably) contemporary Guidotti, who also composed the dedication to chitarrone player. If this was used by him as a per- Cardinal Aldobrandino. He speaks throughout in forming score, we can deduce that the chitarrone the third person of the instructions, wishes and played with both Anima and Corpo as they speak judgements of Signor Emilio de' Cavalieri concern- with each other in their first dialogue. What other ing the performance of this and similar works. instrumentalists may have played with him cannot However, Cavalieri's letters reveal that he consid- be ascertained. ered himself the author of this foreword. It is a We have examined the basso per l'organo of Via- document of the first importance for understand- dana, the practical church musician; the humanist ing the aesthetics and practice of the rappresenta- Caccini's new art of song to a single plucked instru- tione per recitar cantando, the genre to which ment; and the touch of exoticism and worldliness Monteverdi's Orfeo belongs. The first emphasis is in Cavalieri's association of the guitar and percus- 88 EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 1994 1 Bonifazio Veronese de Pitati (c.1487-1553), Dives and Lazarus (detail) (Venice, Accademia) sion with the dance-song of Pleasure. (These three observed in Kapsberger's tablature realizations of examples also neatly represent the three main mu- the bass line printed in his Libro prirno di arie sical currents which gave rise to the basso con- passeggiate (Rome, 1612). Here the texture varies tinuo.) We are now ready to proceed to that source from one to six parts; Kapsberger takes advantage which strives to encompass the contemporary array of the chitarrone's special sonority by often adding of instruments for continuo and defines an aesthet- bass notes an octave below the bass line. ic system for their use--Agostino Agazzari's Del A more difficult question is: What is the meaning sonare sopra'l basso (Siena, 1607). of Agazzari's 'instruments of ornament'? Does he Agazzari's book is extremely compact; it consists really mean that players of a11 these instruments of just 12 pages. He begins with a classification of all (including violins) should be capable of playing the instruments which play 'over the bass' ('sopra il their own spontaneous part or realization above the basso') into two groups-those of the fundament bass? and those of the ornament: Agazzari describes this function in detail with reference to the lute: As foundation, there are those which guide and sustain the entire body of the voices and instruments of the said con- Therefore, whoever plays the lute, which is the noblest certo; which are organ, cembalo etc., and similarly in the instrument among them all, must play nobly, with much case of few or single voices, lute, tiorba, arpa etc.