Alessandro Scarlatti, Lucretia Romana, ed. Rosalind Halton, May 2006 Introduction, p. i INTRODUCTION Alessandro Scarlatti's setting of Lucretia Alessandro Melani, Francesco Gasparini, Romana (Hanley 377) has been dated to 16 Bernardo Pasquini, and Flavio Lanciani. September, 1688.1 The following detail is Lucretia is the only setting by Scarlatti, and given by Edwin Hanley: “On the basis of its tragic theme from Roman antiquity documents in the Doria-Pamfili archives, further sets it apart from the other works in Montalto…reports that Benedetto Pamfili is the manuscript. the author of the text of this cantata and that a copy was presented to Cardinal Giovanni Source B Francesco Maria de’ Medici in the winter of Naples, Biblioteca del Conservatorio, MS 33.2.4, 1690.”2 ff. 128-138v (Nc) Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili, author of No heading or attribution. Ornamental the text, was one of the principal ecclesiasti- capital. cal patrons of music in late seventeenth- century Rome, and his poetry was set on Source C numerous occasions by Alessandro Scarlatti. London, British Library, MS Add. 31488, A manuscript in the Vatican Library, Rome, ff. 166-185 (Lbl) of cantata and other texts for musical Watermark: 3 mountains in double circle; settings by Pamphili (I-Rvat Vat. lat. 10206) fleur de lys in double circle r gives an idea of the range and involvement Heading: La Lucretia Romana / del Sig . of the cardinal's literary interests as librettist. Scarlatti. Scribe: Roman hand Contents: cantatas by Cola, Bononcini, Sources Scarlatti, Carissimi Carissimi, Stradella. (list of composers in Source A English hand). The volume bears the name Münster, Santini Collection, MS 862, “R.J. Stevenson, Charterhouse 1817.” The ff. 1-12 (MÜs) name “Savage” also appears. Watermark: fleur de lys in double circle Heading: Lucretia Romana / del S. Alesso There is a close correspondence between Scarlatti. the readings of sources A (MÜs) and B (Nc), Scribe: Roman hand.3 and considerable variance of those with the Contents: cantatas with instruments by readings and markings of C (Lbl). In Nc the title character’s name is variously spelled as “Lugrezia” and “Lugretia,” whereas MÜs and Lbl give “Lucretia.” 1 Malcolm Boyd, s.v. “Alessandro Scarlatti,” The New Some of the aspects in which Lbl differs Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., from the first two sources are: bass figures, 22: 392. No source is given for the date. of which many more appear; slurs in the 2 Hanley, Edwin, “Alessandro Scarlatti's Cantate da Camera: a Bibliographical Study, ” Ph.D. vocal part, of which many more are given Dissertation, Yale University, 1963, pp. 291-292. over 3- and 4-note groups; and tempo 3 The hand of MÜs 862 has similarities to that of MÜs markings (see below). Lbl also has a number 3933, Scarlatti’s opera La Rosmene, performed in of textual errors, such as incorrect numbers Rome, Palazzo Doria Pamphili, Carnival 1686 (Boyd, of beats for the time signature, e.g. in the “Scarlatti,” 22: 384). WEB LIBRARY OF SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY MUSIC (www.sscm-wlscm.org), WLSCM No. 7 Alessandro Scarlatti, Lucretia Romana, ed. Rosalind Halton, May 2006 Introduction, p. ii opening recitative (m. 26) and in the arioso which Lucretia confronts the inevitable sui- “Ma che farai mio cor?” (m. 160). In “Ma cide demanded by her situation. crudel dove n’andrai,” (m. 75) an ornament None of the arias is a da capo form, a sign not typical of Scarlatti's copyists common situation in Scarlatti's work of this (similar to the French tremblement), time. The most frequent poetic form used by indicating a cadential shake in the voice, Pamphili is that of a verse which returns to appears several times. These readings are the first line through a preceding line that not adopted in this edition, though the tempo rhymes with it, e.g. first aria (m. 44): line 1 markings are noted in the Editorial Notes. and last line, “Barbaro hai vinto”; penultimate line, “ch’ai reso estinto”. In the second aria (m.7 5), this is extended to a Style and structure scheme of matching rhymes to the first two lines: “Ma crudel dove n’andrai / per fuggir The work makes highly virtuosic demands le mie vendette?” and “…'e s’al ciel giunger on the singer and has a wider range than saprai / ti rispinghin le saette.” usual for Scarlatti's cantatas with continuo: This form builds in an element of musi- from d′ to b″-flat. It calls for a dramatic cal recapitulation, and also facilitates a rendition, like other solo cantatas based on varied treatment of the intervening text, in ancient Roman history (including Scarlatti's which the music follows freely the affect of Il Coriolano). These follow the tradition of the lines––rather than portraying a single similarly virtuosic works on ancient histori- dominant affect within a section of music. cal subjects by Stradella, for example An example is the aria “Barbaro, hai vinto,” Nerone and Medea (“Già languiva la in which the music to the first (and last) notte”). All of these works appear in the lines is downward moving and dejected, but British Library manuscript Add. 31488, takes on a defiant quality through the moto along with the famous trio cantata of perpetuo bass line and the recitando vocal Carissimi, I Naviganti. part. In each of the Roman historical pieces, The second aria follows the first without the subject is a character for whom death is intervening recitative, an occasional feature the only release from dishonor and despair. of Scarlatti’s works in the 1690s. Moving The well-known subject of the rape of from the A-minor pathos of “Barbaro, hai Lucretia provided Scarlatti––as many other vinto,” the voice opens unaccompanied onto composers after him, including Handel and a virtuoso aria in D major, in which Lucretia Montéclair––with the dramatic ingredients calls for revenge––a family vendetta from of defiance, fury, and pathos. which her attacker Sesto will seek escape in Tonally as well as emotionally, Scar- vain. latti's Lucretia covers a wide trajectory, In the third, equally vehement aria in E from A minor (first recitative and aria), to D flat, Lucretia turns her anger on herself, major (m. 75, second aria: Lucretia calling blaming her own beauty for Sesto’s attack. down curses upon Sesto, her attacker), E flat Then comes the thought of suicide, with (m. 122: continuation of the curse), D minor more deliberate movements (several marked / G minor (m. 137, fourth aria with arioso: Largo or Adagio––see Tempo Markings, be- Lucretia's sorrow and pathos) before return- low), in contrast to the rapid pace of the ing to A minor for Lucretia's farewell (m. preceding arias. 244). Another original feature of the structure A number of structural features are nota- from this point is the intertwining of the ble in this journey, from rapid virtuoso arias arioso “Ma che farai mio cor?” (mm. 160, and extravagant recitative to the obsessive 184, 221) with the two strophes of a mourn- circling of the slow 3/8 strophic aria in ful aria in 3/8––a standard form for the WEB LIBRARY OF SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY MUSIC (www.sscm-wlscm.org), WLSCM No. 7 Alessandro Scarlatti, Lucretia Romana, ed. Rosalind Halton, May 2006 Introduction, p. iii cantata of the 1690s, though rarely used with final aria in D minor (mm. 164-183 and 201- such psychological intensity. The device 220). enables Pamphili and Scarlatti to present Lucretia as a complex character torn be- Accidentals tween duty (the repetitive patterns of the The usage of accidentals by Scarlatti and by 3/8) and a more personal response “But contemporary copyists differs from modern what will my heart do?” usage in several ways. In general, the com- Her final path to death is presented in poser uses an accidental to apply for the the form of a decisive recitative, and the duration of one note only, or for consecutive work ends with the gasped out “I faint, I fall, notes on a repeated pitch. Modern conven- I die, I breathe: Farewell.” tion regards as redundant the repetition of accidentals applied to the same pitch within a measure; but they often serve as a useful Editorial Notes reminder for performers, especially within a highly inflected chromatic style such as The vocal part is notated in the soprano clef Scarlatti’s. (lowest line = c′) in all sources. The use of the natural sign to cancel an MÜs has been followed as the principal accidental earlier in the bar thus appears text. It presents a high standard of accuracy rarely in these manuscripts, whereas modern and clarity with regard to the poetic and usage requires it routinely. Here the modern musical text and the textual underlay. Some convention has been adopted, so as to avoid performance markings from Nc have been needless ambiguity. In nearly every case added, such as the Largo at m. 11. Lbl has a Scarlatti’s notation leaves no room for larger number of scribal inaccuracies than doubt, when we consider together his use of the first two texts, such as incorrect barring key signatures, bass figures, and principles in the arioso, “Ma che farai mio cor?” The of using accidentals. tempo marking Presto for the second and third arias (mm. 75 and 122), found only in Slurs and other variant readings this source, have not been adopted. Throughout the aria “Barbaro ha vinto,” Nc and MÜs agree in the treatment of the Bass figuring ultimate syllable of each phrase, going from In the arias, figures that appear in one the final leading-note sixteenth to the tonic strophe but not in the other have been resolution on the following downbeat (e.g., adopted for each strophe.