Giacomo Carissimi - Complete Motets of Arion Romanus

"'A 17th-century Arion': In 1670, the dedication of a cycle of 'sacred songs' to the Bishop of Costanza, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Franz Joseph, marked the consecration of Giacomo Carissimi as the 'Roman Arion' and represented a definitive confirmation of his fame and important as maestro of maestros, the inventor of a new way of making and listening to music. Arion, born in Lesbos and resident in Corinth at the court of the tyrant Periander in the 7th century B.C., has to all intents and purpose become a myth, and his enormous fame has stripped him of his concrete reality and made him an emblematic figure surrounded by divine power, a symbol of a new concept of music and poetry destine to remain as an example for centuries to come.

"A singer of matchless gifts, a lyric poet of the utmost refinement and sensibility, Arion is recorded as a flesh-and-blood historical figure by Herodotus, who describes him as the inventor of the dithyramb, the ancient Greek hymn sung and danced in honour of Dionysus, characterised by variable metres and extravagant form that reach almost orgiastic lengths. This would place him at the very origins of tragedy according to the doctrines elaborated by Aristotle. In actual fact, throughout the long evolution of poetic form, the form of the dithyramb has been exploited brilliantly in moder works, and it is in the 17th century that it enjoyed a kind of revival enriched with exhilerating new meaning. In that sense Carissimi was an exemplary figure, gifted with charisma and surrounded by intrigue to a much greater extent than so many of his contemporaries were, and in this sense the comparison with Arion takes on a deeper significance.

"Athanius Kircher had already explained with convincing precision that the defining quality of Carissimi's music was its capacity to make the listener feel an enormous range of emotions, and ultimately reach spiritual fulfilment. It was the range of liveliness and the density of content that Kircher saw as the essence of Carissimi's creative genius, hence Arion as a metaphor for changing emotions and the utmost skill in the elaboration of form. Just as Arion was miraculously saved by a dolphin that guided him through the treacherous waters that were about to submerge him, Carissimi had plunged into the difficult waters of oratorio through which he guided the listener on a path that seems to avoid difficulty or danger such is its gentle, reassuring smoothness, belying spontaneous expression of passion. Compared with the many musicians of generations immediately previous to his, Carissimi seems far superior to those whose scholarly efforts seemed to be a vain attempt to vindicate their mediocre work. At that time Carissimi, the maestro of maestros, was considered a composer truly able to mould personalities as diverse as the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier or Giovanni Paolo Colonna from Bologna, thanks to the incomparable fascination held by his creative powers and the extraordinary facility with which he seemed to teach others to take charge of sound and musical texture. It is this perfect synthesis of doctrine, which is converted into expressive substance, and the endless freshness of his inspiration that make of this man the Arion of the 17th century, inevitable destined for imperishable fame. (Claudio Strinati. From the liner notes.)

"'Jacomo Carissimi 'sive' Arion Romanus: the 'Melopoet's' dive': Within the specific double-faceted tradition promoted by the Ensemble Seicentonovecento, with the 'sive' of our title our intention today is to suggest a reflection that will help us to reveal one of the metaphors of the Maestro of the San'Apollinare church; thus, in addition to the 'Vir frugi' suggested by Lino Bianchi and the 'Magister humilitatus' I discussed elsewhere, this 'sive Arion' can be considered the key to an understanding 'in reverse order' - from maestro to work/from work to maestro. Plutarch tells the story of a journey made by the famous musician and poet Arion during which the sailors on the ship that was carrying him from Sicily plotted to kill him in order to steal his money. In a dream Apollo promised to help the artist who, as soon as he saw he was in danger, sang one of his hymns, threw himself into the sea and was rescued by a dolphin that had been attracted by his singing. The god then transformed his protégé's lyre and the faithful animal who had saved him into constellations of the boreal sky. The dolphin is the symbol of regeneration, of wisdom, of conversion (in a number of legends dolphins are considered pirates who have been transformed by their repentance), and has an important role in rites of passage and as a psychopomp to lead the soul of the deceased to the afterlife: Christ the Saviour Himself is known to have been represented by a dolphin.

"In Arion's plunge into the sea we see man's self-abandonment into the arms of divine Providence: the longing to reach the gates of salvation - 'in this aiming for a future that contains the notion of returning' - has further echoes in some texts set by hte 'Melopoet' Carissimi: this is the case with one of the motets for solo voice in the collection 'Convertere ad me qui relinquis me peccando ad fontem pietatis abyssus egestatis revertere'. The title of the collection 'Arion Romanus sive Liber primus sacrarum cantonium' refers to the supernatural qualites of the mythical canto and of our composer alike: the poetic dedication 'to the Feast of the Pentecost' where the works of Carissimi, known as 'musical models' even in their time, are defined as 'composed of art and special sweetness merged together', as well as many other philosophical elements displayed in typical laudatory style, extols the rose as 'King' and 'Eye' of flowers. It shows an important relationship between the flower's geometrical principles as symbol of the golden numbers 5 and 12 and those of music which, like 'Orpheus's potion', revives the body and achieves the reconciliation of the universe 'mostly because Music is considered as being either Mistress, or comparison and symbol of a government which through its laws is perfect and absolute'.

"Carissimi's works, as 'models' both new and old, are defined as Gems, Pearls, Marguerites, Roses 'worthy to be woven or to bestow victory on Apollo's crown', while the example they set is recognised as a gift from Heaven. Just as Palestrina was elected as a renewer of polyphonic singing, so Carissimi, as tastes evolved, seems like a kind of fixed star and - 'Sicut stella' - his theories and 'models' appear as golden precepts: 'Every note of his was a gem because it gave a glow to the most precious of art.'

"Giovanni Barrista Mocchi, a loyal student of Carissimi's at the Jesuit German-Hungarian College, ensured the publication in Costanza - the city of the 15th century Council which managed the feat of restoring the unity of the Church after its schism - of a new Catholic and 'Roman' 'icon'. The 'Notice' to further readers and performers is below:

"'To the Musicians. Take note of two things. Don't be frightened by the difficulty of one or two of the songs in this collection: there are no difficulties that cannot be easily overcome even by a student [...] Few of you can use as an excuse their excessive length, which can immediately by remedied by omitting a few verses from the songs for solo voice. Finally I would point out that it was be a good thing to engage Singers, Melopoets and Composers at whatever fee they ask on behalf of those who will thus savour the art of music more deeply than hearing it from raucous lips. I trust you are well and look upon my effort with favour [...] J.B.M.'

"'After us will already be what it once was: '[...] my Arion crowned with music flowers will sing everywhere'.' (Flavio Colusso. From the liner notes.)

"'Reflections on the texts and music of the 'Arion Romanus': 'Arion Romanus' is the title of a published collection of 28 motets by Giacomo Carissimi compiled by Giovanni Battista Mocchi. (The attribution of some of these motets to the composer is currently in doubt). Mocchi (c. 1620-1688) was born in Marino, as was Carissimi, and was a singer at the German College in Rome in the 1630s under Carissimi's direction. For several months in 1646 he studied composition with Carissimi; around that date, like many other Italian musicians of the time but unlike his illustrious teacher, he left Italy to cross the Alps. Subsequently, even when he held the post of 'maestro di cappella' for the Palatine counts in Neuberg, he frequently returned to Rome to keep up his contacts with his teacher and other Roman composers.

"For his project dedicated to Carissimi, Mocchi turned in 1670 to the printer David Hautt the younger in Constance. He was official printer to the local diocesan bishop, Johann Franz, to whom the publication was dedicated. It appears that the Bishop was a fervent Marian devotee and this, as we shall see, had a certain relevance to the content of 'Arion'.

"Rather unusually for Roman musical circles, the only publications entirely devoted to Carissimi's music while he was alive were produced in Germany (the other was printed by Fridericum Friessem in Cologne in 1666): otherwise Carissimi's works featured only in anthologies. Why did the Maestro of Sant'Apollinare not personally promote the publication of his works? Carissimi, the famous maestro of a Jesuit college that was certainly not short of funds, had many admirers and patrons, including Queen Christina of Sweden, who named him 'Maestro di Cappella of the Court Ensemble'. The composer was probably very frugal (he did not have to pay for anthologies) and perhaps even too humble to turn to wealthy patrons, however willingly they might certainly have supported him.

"Looking at the texts set to music in the 1670 publication, we note that none of the 28 motets has strictly liturgical texts. This does not means that these sacred pieces were not appropriate for liturgical use, even in the 17th century: it would be perfectly proper for them to replace the Responsory or to be sung during Communion; in the Office of Hours they can be sung instead of the antiphons, especially the Marian motets as an antiphon before the Magnificat. In any case they were all suitable for the musical forces attached to cardinals, princes and patricians, not least of which were those belonging to Christina of Sweden.

"The use of texts set to music normally meant altering, combining, paraphrasing or transforming textual material that already existed. We also find snatches of biblical texts that haven't been altered that are also present in liturgy, notable from the Psalms and the Song of Songs, but also from Isaiah. We can spot references to Ecclesiastes 17:21 or 23 ('Convertere ad me', a spiritual song appropriate to the period of All Souls) or to Numbers 12:17 (the central section of 'Sicut Mater'). In 'Convertere' the concluding allusion to the Song of Songs does not refer to the Madonna, as is usually the case, but to the human soul that has to start loving God. Other motets that feature Psalm texts, include 'Benedicte gentes', which starts with a direct quote from Psalm 6:8-9 (start) and from Psalm 61:9, and then continues to paraphrase freely. Taking these quotes as a guide the motet is appropriate for Lent, the period following Easter or the Feast of St. Joseph. As far as the prophet Isaiah is concerned we must once again turn to the 'Sicut Mater', which begind with a quote from 66:13 and ends with 35:2. The central sections of the motet, on the other hand, are less specific and the motet, which is stated as 'De Tempore', is appropriate for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany; the conclusion draws particular attention to Mary's status as the Mother of God, which is unusual for Carissimi. At least seven motets in our publication are dedicated to the Madonna. It is not surprise to find references to the Song of Songs, but in 'Salve Virgo' we also find references to the antiphon 'Salve Regina', to the 'Ave Maria' and to the Gospel according to St. Luke.

"In three cases we find references to spiritual literature of the Middle Ages. 'Panem caelestem' shows clear assonance with the prose and mystic poetry of the Franciscan St. Bonaventura (c. 1217-1274): a similar case if 'O quam dilecta Mensa', which also has a refrain taken from two rhyming verses of the 'Giubilo' attributed to St. Bernard of Chiaravalle (1090-1153), who re-founded the Cistercian Order: both motets are liturgically suited to the Feast of Corpus Domini. The same thing seems to go for 'Ave dulcissime Angelorum panis'.

"Who collected or wrote these texts? We know for example that Domenico Mazzocchi and Alessandro Stradello themselves wrote the text of some of their sacred music: we can presume that the same went for Carissimi. We must, however, consider that he also had as eminent colleagues Jesuit father who could act as consultants and even as authors of sacred and spiritual texts set to music.

"Carissimi's motets are usually made up of several sections: that is, they are divided up into a series of sections of variable structure. The main formal elements are: monody in recitative style, the concertato (lively or alternatively more contemplative and closer to the madrigal), the arioso in 4/4 with moving bass, the arioso section in 3/2, the aria and the madrigal proper.

"The 'Arion Romanus' offers us the peerless art of Giacomo Carissimi made accessible in ever possible way to small ensembles. As regards the four 'unica' in this publication and in particular the precious 'Panem caelestem' and 'Benedicte gentes', we are grateful to the pupil Giovanni Battista Mocchi and the printer David Hautt for saving these masterpieces that would otherwise have been lost forever." (Wolfgang Witzenmann. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Ensemble Seicentonovecento, Flavio Colusso

1.1. Mortalis Homo

1.2. Sicut Stella Matutina

1.3. Convertere Ad Me

1.4.  Domine Deus Meus

1.5. Panem Coelestem Angelorum

1.6. Anima Nostra Sustinet Dominum

1.7. Laudemus Virum Gloriosum

1.8. O Dulcissime Jesu

2.1. Sicut Mater Consolatur

2.2. Ecce Sponsus Venit

2.3. Hymnum Jucunditatis Cantemus

2.4. Viderunt Te Domine

2.5. Quis Est Hic Vir

2.6. Omnes Gentes Gaudete Cum Maria (Victore)

2.7. O Beatum Virum

2.8. Egredimini Filiae Sion, Et Videte

2.9. Benedicite Gentes

2.10. O Beatum Virum

2.11. Gaudeat Terra, Jubilent Montes

2.12. Salve, Virgo Immaculata

3.1. Audite, Sancti (Justi)

3.2. Quo Tam Laetus Progrederis

3.3. Quasi Aquila

3.4. Exurge, Cor Meum, In Cithara

3.5. Ardens Est Cor Nostrum (Meum)

3.6. Ave Dulcissime Angelorum Panis

3.7. Desiderata Nobis

3.8. O Quam Dilecta Sunt Tabernacula

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Giovanni Legrenzi; Giacomo Carissimi - Oratorios of the Italian Baroque: Il Cuor Umano All'incanto; Oratorio della SS Virgine; Jonas

"In the environment of cultural renewal which took place in the wake of the Catholic counter-reformation at the turn of the 17th century, two diverse forms of sacred poetry written for music arose: the oratorio, championed by the followers of St. Philip Neri, and the sacred drama, favoured by the Jesuits. Both of these forms were aimed at responding to the same need: that of proposing stories of a sacred, spiritual or moral character in a manner pleasing to a vast public. The artistic results which followed were, however, quite different, and perhaps even in direct opposition to one another. The oratorio, in accordance with the canons of Philip's teachings according to which the faithful should be educated through simple and immediate means, was conceived as a composition in two parts, featuring a few fundamental personages and executed by musicians and singers who were hidden from view of the listeners. The sacred drama, on the other hand, conformed to that dramaturgy, which Jesuit theoreticians had long sought to codify, inspired by antique theatrical models. The text of the drama, much longer than that of an oratorio, was divided into three or even five separate acts, at times divided by comic intermezzos, and featured a remarkable number of principal and secondary characters who complicated the plot, while the staging was conceived in such a way as to awe the spectator, even to the point of upstaging the music or the poetic text.

"Music comprised the element of contact between the two genres. While the librettists generally belonged to different cultural milieus, the same composers often wrote both oratorios and sacred dramas. The compositional technique foresaw the use of all musical form employing basso continuo. The sacred drama and the oratorio would thus undergo the same musical evolution as other contemporary genres such as cantatas or operas.

"The music for 'Il Cuor umano all'incanto' was composed by Giovanni Legrenzi in all probability during the very early years of the 1670s. At that time, Legrenzi, who had already served as 'maestro di cappella' at the Accademia dello Spirito Santo in Ferrara beginning in 1656, moved to Venice to take over the post of director of the Conservatorio dei Mendicanti. In 1685 he also became the director of the prestigious chapel of St. Mark's. In these years, he established himself as one of the leading authors of musical oratorios in the Venetian area, collaborating frequently with the local 'Congregazione dell'Oratorio' which met at the church of S. Maria della Consolazione. Documentation preserved in the archives of the church of S. Maria della Consolazione provides details concerning the titles of the oratorios performed in those years: among those cited, we find for the first time, in 1673, 'Il cuor umano all'incanto'.

"The text of the oratorio was written by Pier Matteo Petrucci, a priest of the Order of St. Philip Neri, who took his training at the Universita of Macerata and was a member of the 'Congregazione dell'Oratorio' of Jesi. The years immediately following 1670 were fundamental for the literary production of Petrucci, a prominent figure in Italian mysticism. In 1680, he was named bishop of Jesi, and in 1686 cardinal. Merely a year later, however, in the wake of the trial of Miguel de Molinos, his publications were condemned for quietism by the court of the Inquisition and were placed on the Index of prohibited books.

"The first printed edition in which the text of 'Il Cuor umano all'incanto' appears dates to 1675. It was included in a collection entitled 'Poesie sacre e spirituali de Pier Matteo Petrucci della Congregazione dell'Oratorio di Jesi' and was published in Jesi and Macerata. It is particularly interesting to note the delay of nearly two years which separated the first performances of the oratorio in Venice from its publication, edited personally by Petrucci himself for the very purpose of obviating an unauthorized circulation of his works. This fact demonstrates that the circulation of oratorios took place even before the compositions were published, thanks to the ties which connected the followers of St. Philip who were active in various Italian cities. Evidence of the use of the text by Petrucci - musical scores, librettos, documents concerning performances - may be found today in some of the cities where the oratorians were most active: Venice, Ferrara, Bologna and Naples. The success of the 'Poesie' is witnessed, moreover, by the reprints published in Jesi or Venice in 1680, 1685, 1686 and 1717. 'Il Cuor umano all'incanto', in particular, was set to music not only by Legrenzi, but also by Giovanni Antonio Manara and Pietro Andrea Ziani.

"The version by Giovanni Legrenzi was performed in Venice in 1673, 1674 and 1696, in Ferrara in 1676 and in Vienna at the chapel of Emperor Leopold in 1692. Legrenzi's writing is clear and fluid, and invariably respectful of the moral content of the oratorio. Thus, in the arias the composer avoids superfluous repetitions of the text and in the recitatives the musical phrases conform to the rhythm of the poetical verses. Only in the ensemble sections and in the two choruses placed at the end of each part does Legrenzi elaborate more complex musical situations, though he remains equally moderate in length and faithful always to the general tone of the composition.

"The structure of Petrucci's oratorio follows the stylistic canons recognized and accepted by the majority of authors writing musical oratorios in the second half of the 17th century whose names were scrupulously listed by Arcangelo Spagna in the his 'Discorso intorno a gl'Oratori', published in Rome in 1706 but probably conceived a few decades earlier.

"'Il Cuor umano all'incanto' is divided into two parts, allowing for the insertion of a sermon between the two. It calls for six characters: 'Il Cuore umano' (the Human Heart), 'L'Angelo custode' (Guardian Angel), 'Il piacer vano' (Vain Pleasure), and 'Il mondo' (the World) in the first part; 'Il Cuore umano', 'L'Angelo custode', 'Cristo' (Christ) and 'Il Demonio' (the Devil) in the second. The distribution of the parts is conceived in such a way that it may be performed by four singers, as Petrucci himself scrupulously indicates in the various printed editions: a soprano, an alto, a tenor (for both 'Il piacer' and 'Cristo'), and a bass (for 'Il Mondo' and 'Il Demonio'). The four singers form a chorus at the end of each part of the oratorio, where the moral messages of the text are restated in a more explicit manner.

"The poetic strength of Petrucci lies in his giving the listener a simple and fully enjoyable text, almost scanty in its linearity but faithful to what we have mentioned was the spirit of the message championed by the followers of St. Philip Neri. Petrucci was aware that music and poetry should be a means of transmission rather than ends unto themselves, and he underlined his concept in the preface to the edition of 1686 of his 'Poesie': 'I have often noticed that a great exquisiteness of speech and exceedingly florid phrases offend rather than assist the vigour of the sacred verses and of the poetry which should benefit the spirit [...] Just as the extraordinary sweetness and musical art of a sung voice make man pay greater attention to [the voice] itself than to the sacred meaning of the poetry, instead of raising the Soul to God, holds it to itself and feeds more on beautiful flowers than on nourishing fruit.' Here, then, is the road indicated by Petrucci: 'read, therefore, O devoted Soul, these Rhymes, not so much to delight in them as to profit by them.' (Francesco Gatti, tr. Candace Smith. From the liner notes.)

"Giacomo Carissimi, son of Amico and Livia Prosperi, was baptised on 18th April 1605 in Marion Parish Church, near Rome. He started in Marino church as a clergyman, and studied music and singing with the local organist, supported by the ecclesiastical benefices of Grottaferrata Abbey. In 1623, when he was only eighteen, he was engaged as a member of the choir of Trivoli Cathedral, and his salary was one 'scudo' and fifty 'baiocchi' a month. There he came into contact with the latest musical movements through the maestri di cappella Briganti Colonna, Alessandro Capece and Francesco Mannelli. In 1627, Getulio Nardini and Vicario Apostolico of the Diocese of Assisi, appointed the twenty-year-old Giacomo Carissimi to the post of maestro di cappella in S. Rufino Cathedral, with the handsome annual salary of twenty 'scudos'. He stayed in the Umbrian town until December 1629, when he was summoned to Rome and given the dual role of maestro di cappella in S. Apollinaire church and teacher in the German College. Greatly admired and sought after by many a Prince, Carissimi never left Rome, and kept the appointmenets he was assigned to until his death on 12th January 1674, declining to succeed Monteverdi at St. Mark's in Venice or accept the post of Imperial Kapellmeister.

"Carissimi was an unassuming person of simple tastes, entirely dedicated to music, who reasily accepted the austere lifestyle that his post as a teacher at the German College imposed upon him. A teacher of 'Christian and exemplary morals, who would adapt to the way of life, and [to the] discipline of the College, and who would confess and take communion at least once a month in the College, if however he was [not] a priest, [who] would have to do so more often'. One of his commitments was to show the Rector all the compositions he wanted to publish, bearing the words 'Maestro di Cappella in S. Apollinare', so that he could make sure that they would not offend the dignity and reputation of the College. His manuscripts were also bound by Papal decree, which stopped his oratorios being performed during Mass, as it was the common practice to replace the antiphon, the gradual and the offertory with oratorios or motets similar to oratorios. This can be deduced from a letter sent from Paris by René Ouvrard to Claude Nicaise who was visiting Rome: '[...] two years ago, this Pope, prohibited stories set to music, not wanting anything to be sung in the church that was not word for word in the Holy Scriptures [...]' he goes on by saying that: '[...] two months ago [...] Signor Giacomo Carissimi could get permission to print the compositions he himself wrote'. Many of his works were unpublished and later countless other were lost when the Apollinaire archives were destroyed following the devastation caused by Napoleonic troops, who burnt all the existing autographs, so causing most of Carissimi's music to sink into oblivion. Numerous masterpieces by the composer are only known today because of the copies made by his students, which can be found in libraries all over Europe: this enabled one of the most authoratitive figures of the European music scene to come into his own.

"Whilst he was in Rome, Carissimi soon came into contact with the 'esercitii oratoriali' (oratorial exercises) in the form practised by the Compagnia de Crocifisso, in which the musical element was the Latin dialogical and concerted motets, with solo choral and solo parts, and pieces in recitative style, as observed by Maugras: 'The voices start with a psalm in the form of a motet, and then all the instrumentalists play and excellent symphony. After that the voices sing an episode from the Old Testament as a sacred drama. Then one of the most important preachers gives an exhortation, and this done, the day's gospel is sung, in which each singer represents a character in the story and expresses the force of the words perfectly.' Following the work already carried out by Emilio de'Cavalieri and Paolo Quagliata, Carissimi continued to develop the oratorio as a separate musical genre. As no autographs of the composer are extant, for the reasons already mentioned, we do not know what terminology Carissimi used for this new kind of music.

"Only seven of the Latin oratorios in a French manuscript are actually called Oratorios ('Judicium extremum', 'Diluvium universale', 'Judicium salomonis', 'Lamentatio damnatorum', 'Felicitas beatorum', 'Martyres' and 'Dives malus'), the others have been given the name 'oratorio' by present-day researches, but the original titles were 'historie' and 'historia o motet'. There is a considerable difference in opinion amongst musicologists as to the total number of Latin oratorios composed by Carissimi, as different criteria were applied to the term 'oratorio'. To evaluate Carissimi's part in the development of the oratorio, his great variet of sacred works should be considered, such as the short motets in dialogue form, the biblical 'stories', the lamentations, Latin cantatas and dialogues and the two-part oratorios. Not only does the length of the composition vary, but also the number of voices, how the dialogue and the narrative roles are assigned to the choir and soloists and the way choral episodes, recitatives, duets, terzettos, ariosos and instrumental pieces are distributed. Carissimi's contribution to this is less apparent in formal innovations than in the way he created an oratorial atmosphere, particularly by means of expressive processes in which biblical episodes are transformed into sacred epics, evidence above all of his otherworldly, impetuous and overwhelming faith.

"'The Oratorio Della Santissima Vergine': Only two of Carissimi's oratorios in the vernacular are extant: 'Daniele' and the 'Oratorio della Santissima Vergine'. Both of these works are essential to understanding early oratorios written in the vernacular. Neither of the dates of these compositions is known. The 'Oratorio della Santissima Vergine' is a contemplative work, in two parts. The only character indicated in the score is the Virgin (S), the other characters sing solo passages (A, T, B), duets (SS), trios (ATB), and choral pieces (SSATB). The instruments, two violins and basso continuo, play an opening symphony, some ritornellos and accompany the choral parts. The first part of the libretto brings to mind Francesco Balducci's 1642 version, whilst the second part is practically all original. Here the meditative-allegorical vision is transformed even to include the fight between the Virgin and Evil, called the 'serpent' or the 'monster'. When the Oratorio opens Maria's identity is revealed, dawn is rising and the new light turns the shores to gold. A voice (T) is heard singing 'Gran Donna appare', and asks 'Chi è costei' (who is she) and another voice replies 'Ella è Maria' (she is Maria) (A). When the figure of the Madonna has been revealed, a third voice (B) narrates the conflict between the Virgin and Evil: the Virgin defeats the 'monster' and goes on to plunder hell. In the second part jubilation is shown for the victory of good over evil and hymns are sung to the Virgin. The Oratorio ends, like all good sermons, with the choir offering a final metaphoric meditation, in the spirit of the Counter-Reformation: the night is not so dark that there will be no dawn; after the winter the fragrant spring adorns the fields with flowers. The dramatic circumstances are always expressed in a powerful and intriguing way, and there are vocal hints of madrigalism and the style of Monteverdi. The way the work is written, for the sinuous purity of its nature, the serene beatitude of the moods and the celestial transparency that imbues the whole - almost Botticellian - composition, suggest that this must have been an early work, particularly as this would coincide with the date Balducci wrote the text.

"'Jonas': The main character, Jonas, a prophet despite himself, is called by God to convert the people of Niniveh - a task which is too difficult for him. Jonas is frightened and hides in a ship leaving for Tharsis. God causes a terrible storm to hit the ship, as if to show how small human beings are in comparison to the Universe of God. The composer's innovative expressive flair now highlights the raging storm almost onomatopoeically, with the crashing of waves and the force of the wind. The frightened sailors pray to their gods to cause the storm to abate, and when questioned, the gods say that Jonas brought it about. The sailors then ask the Prophet to reveal himself, and when he wakes from a 'sapore grave' (deep sleep), he confesses that is was he that was the cause of the storm, so they hurl him into the sea, where a 'cetus grandis' (whale) swallows him up. The fury of the elements is thereby appeased. Jonas cries three times to God ('ignosce Domine') from the belly of the fish, and God forgives him, and orders the whale to release him so that the Prophet can go and carry out his mission amongst the people of Nineveh who, in the end are converted, and sing the marvellous 'Peccavimus Domine'. This final choral piece again shows Carissimi's versatile use of the choir to obtain expression, by means of a group character (the citizens of Nineveh), through a plurality of dialoguing voices. These oratorios, as in all the Roman composer's compositions, show Carissimi's immense ability to render text expressively, so much so that Kircher considered him superior to all other musicians 'at moving the souls of audiences to feel whatever emotion he intended', whilst other simply called him 'the musical orator'. (Paolo Pacini, tr. Priscilla Worsley. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Ensemble Legrenzi, Complesso Pro Musica Firenze

1.1. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: Sinfonia

1.2. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Io, Che Sono Un Core Umano'

1.3. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'O Mondo, O Piacere'

1.4. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'E Dunque Il Core Umano'

1.5. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Di Nuovo Rimbomba'

1.6. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Core Umano Non Temere'

1.7. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Cor Uman, Se Ti Miro'

1.8. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Dolce Prezzo! O Quanto, O Quanto'

1.9. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Cerca Monete, O Cor, Cha Sian Più Sode'

1.10. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Senti O Cor Non T'ingannare'

1.11. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Taci Piacer, Non Più, Tu M'incateni'

1.12. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Che Cosa È L'piacere?'

1.13. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Dico Anch'io Ch'è Verità'

1.14. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Saggia Senteza'

1.15. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Eh, Non Temer, Il Mondo Ascolta'

1.16. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Innalza Il Guardo A La Celeste Mole'

1.17. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'A Dirtela Schietta'

1.18. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Cauto Consiglio! Io Mi Vo'dare A Voi'

1.19. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Madrigale 'Ecco Viene Già Servo Il Core''

1.20. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: Sinfonia

1.21. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Soccorrete O Cieli Amici'

1.22. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Sento Che 'L Cor Umano'

1.23. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Un Sentiero Fiorito'

1.24. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'E Quai Cieli Invocar Puoi'

1.25. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Ahi Qual Gelido Orrore'

1.26. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Abissi Orribili'

1.27. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Maledico I Tuoi Iaceri'

1.28. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Questi Queruli Accenti, E 'L Grido Roco'

1.29. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'O Giesù Mio, Mio Redentor, Mia Vita'

1.30. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Discacciato Dal Mondo, A Dio Pretendi'

1.31. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'No Mio Dio, Ma Gira Il Ciglio'

1.32. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Chuidi L'indegne Invidiose Labbra'

1.33. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Dunque Al Cielo Alzerassi Un Cor Di Fango'

1.34. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Ma Tu, Ma Tu Rimira, O Core Ingrato'

1.35. Giovanni Legrenzi - Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Dunque Omai Rimirate, Umani Cori'

1.36. Giovanni Legrenzi -  Il Cuor Umano All'incanto: 'Madrigale 'Se V'offre Il Mondo''

2.1. Giacomo Carissimi - Oratorio Della SS Vergine: Sinfonia

2.2. Giacomo Carissimi - Oratorio Della SS Vergine: 'Io Dell'eterna Mente'

2.3. Giacomo Carissimi - Oratorio Della SS Vergine: 'Ecco Al Vento Le Bandiere'

2.4. Giacomo Carissimi - Oratorio Della SS Vergine: 'Taccia Betulla'

2.5. Giacomo Carissimi - Oratorio Della SS Vergine: 'Su Su Si Spogli Di Fiori Il Prato'

2.6. Giacomo Carissimi - Oratorio Della SS Vergine: 'Notte Mai Non E Si Nera'

2.7. Giacomo Carissimi - Jonas: Simphonia

2.8. Giacomo Carissimi - Jonas: 'Et Praeliabantur Venti'

2.9. Giacomo Carissimi - Jonas: 'Tulerunt Nautae Jonam'

2.10. Giacomo Carissimi - Jonas: 'Peccavimus, Domine'

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Giovanni Maria Trabaci - Music for Organ and Harpsichord

"The beauty and importance of Giovanni Maria Trabaci's keyboard works go well beyond the composer's current fame - perhaps in part because they have only recently been published in a complete edition. Their intrinsic quality, inventiveness and originality make Trabaci one of the foremost composers for the harpsichord and the organ of the first half of the 1600s in Europe.

"What particularly strikes the listener in these works is the extreme intensity and depth of the musical discourse, as regards both counterpoint and harmony. They are compositions that reveal fluent and engaging liveliness, along with a use of counterpoint that was unusual for the period. Trabaci achieves depth and complexity by maintaining mobility among the parts, creating effects of passing dissonance by means of deliberately clashing second, seventh and ninth intervals. Indeed, the intensity of his music owes much to his taste for dissonant harmonies, often the fruit of diminished fourts and raised fifth, and to his predilection for chromaticism. This general tendency towards unusual and refined harmonies and counterpoint is particularly important for the history of keyboard music as it moved away from Renaissance concept of perfect harmony towards the search for expressiveness typical of the Baroque age. The first book of the 'Ricercate, Canzone franzese, Capricci, Canti fermi, Gagliarde, Partite diverse, Toccate ...' was printed in Naples in 1603, in a luxurious edition in open score that contained a wide range of compositions. There can be no doubt that Girolamo Frescobaldi was familiar with the publication, since from 1615 onwards his own works reveal evident traces of Trabaci's creative genius.

"Although he is considered one of the foremost composers of the Neapolitan school of the early 1600s, Giovanni Maria Trabaci was actually born around 1575 in the little village of Irsina, at the time known as Montepeloso, in the southern Basilicata region. Although his early musical education probably took place between Matera and Potenza, we know for sure that in 1594 he was already in Naples, a singer of the church of the Annunziata, and at practically the same time acting as organist at the Oratorio dei Filippini. At the time Naples was under the dominion of the Spanish crown. Governed by a viceroy, it was a centre of artistic endeavour of the first order as regards music, the figurative arts and literature. In 1601 Trabaci's genius as a composer and organist was rewarded by his appointment as organist at the royal chapel in Naples. The Flemish composer Giovanni de Macque certainly had an influence on his artistic development, as did Prince Carlo Gesualdo di Venosa, with whom de Macque was in contact. From Gesualdo, Trabaci must have absorbed the tendency to experiment with unusual, dissonant harmonies.

"During this period Trabaci published in Naples numerous sacred and secular vocal works, as well as the 1603 volume of keyboard pieces. These achievements brought him great fame, to the extent that at the death of Giovanni de Macque in 1614 he was appointed chapel master at the court of the Spanish viceroy. In 1615 the second volume of keyboard music was published, and collaboration with other Neapolitan patrons encouraged him to composer secular works in Spanish and to publish in 1634 the major series of the four Passions for voices and instrumental ensemble. Trabaci died in Naples in 1647, the very year in which the Masaniello uprising against the court of the Spanish viceroy involved the city in revolt and bloodshed.

"The 1603 volume opens with a series of ricercars that reveal supremely skilful counterpoint and surprising originality. The 12 compositions vary considerable in form, ranging from a single-subject piece described as a 'fugue' to works with four subjects. While some of these use highly complex counterpoint, such as inversion of subject or the temporary modification of some pitches of the subject according to solmisation, others are modified in a much freer manner. One of the subjects to feature here is the 'Rugiero' melody, borrowed from folk music and also used for the 'Partite sopra Rugiero'; by contract, the 'Ricercata del decimo tono' finishes with the free style of the toccata. Next comes an impressive series of seven 'Canzone franzese', an instrumental agenre that tends to be light and free. These pieces embody a remarkable variety of rhythmical elements, freedom of form and melodic inventiveness. Of particular note is the astounding toccata-like opening of the 'Canzona franzesa quarta', which concludes with a heady display of virtuoso skill; or indeed the variety achieved by sections of contrasting character in the third and sixth canzonas; to say nothing of the harmonic extravanganza of the 'Canzona franzesa settima cromatica'.

"The four compositions that make up the 'Canto fermo' deserve particular attention, in that the 'cantus firmus' is based on a meldoy known in the 17th century as 'La Spagna', in this case entrusted one by one to the four parts, from the soprano to the basso. Trabaci handles the other three parts as an imitation, combining inventiveness and taste with remarkable elegance. The compositions collected under the titled 'Durezze et ligature' and 'Consonanze stravaganti' are also interesting in the way the composer avoid clear formal structures, and instead achieves unexpected harmonic developments of astounding audacity. Trabaci's toccatas follow a similarly free and imaginative harmonic framework, often adopting more serries passages to great rhetorical and expressive effect, moreover in a period that preceded Frescobaldi's toccatas by several years. The two series of partitas based on folk songs such as 'Fedele' and 'Rugiero' provide a rich collection of variations of great impact that both surprise and delight.

"The second volume of keyboard music published by Trabaci in 1615 opens with a new series of 12 ricercars that are supremely elegant in melody, and at the same time also highly complex in form. Much of the second volume is dedicated to a work conceived as a source for church organists who played at Mass and Vespers: a series of 'Cento Versi sopra li Otto Toni Ecclesiastici', consisting of 100 short verses divided into eight sections, each one corresponding to one of the eight tones of the Gregorian Chant. In this recording I have selected a number of verses on the eighth tone, the last being a quadruple canon, in otder to create a Magnificat in alternation with Gregorian chant. The harmonic and expressive impact of the four toccatas is even more extreme. Agile 'gagliarda' dance movements in four and five parts are included in this volume. Last but not least there is the madrigal by Jacob Arcadelt, 'Ancidetemi pur', that many Italian keyboard composers used as a basis for new compositions. Trabaci reworked the piece into a toccata in which the words 'gioia', 'martiri' and 'sospiri' (joy, martyrdom, sighs) of the madrigal text are transformed into passages that would have reminded listeners of the time of the original meaning of the words.

"The organ in the Church of San'Antonio in Salandra, a small town in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, is a rare example of a 16th century organ built according to the southern model. Probably Neapolitan in design, it feautres a case, or façade, covered with elegant painted decorations and inscribed with the date 1570. Despite certain 18th-century modiciations involving the replacement of a number of mechanical parts, the 16th-century organ pipes have been preserved, such that today it is possible to appreciate the sound of an organ typical of Trabaci's day, whereas the instruments he actually played during his lifetimes in Naples have all been destroyed or radically altered. Because he was born in nearby Irsina in 1575, it is also highly likely that Giovanni Maria Trabaci had the chance to play the Salandra organ. The sound of the organ is diaphonous and airy, with a distinctly accentuated speech of sound that is due to the narrowness of the organ pipes. The background noises derive from the manual bellows, which invest the instrument with a veries, almost human, breath-like sound.

"The harpsichord works are played on a copy of a Neapolitan harpsichord of the mid-17th century, currently conserved in The Hague. Its distinctive sound is due to the special construction techniques adopted by harpsichord builders in Naples during Trabaci's lifetime." (Francesco Cera, 2014. From the liner notes.)

Performer: Francesco Cera

1.1. Libro I: Canzona Franzesa Settima Cromatica

1.2. Libro I: Canto Fermo Secondo Del Secondo Tono

1.3. Libro I: Consonanze Stravaganti

1.4. Libro I: Toccata Seconda Ottavo Tono

1.5. Libro I: Canzona Franzesa Prima

1.6. Libro I: Toccata Prima Secondo Tono

1.7. Libro I: Canzone Sesta

1.8. Libro I: Ricercata Nono Tono Con Tre Fughe

1.9. Libro I: Durezze Et Ligature

1.10. Libro I: Canzona Franzesa Terza

1.11. Libro I: Canto Fermo Quarto Del Primo Tono

1.12. Libro I: Ricercata Del Decimo Tono

1.13. Libro II: Versetti Dell'ottavo Tono (Magnificat)

1.14. Libro II: Ricercata Del Sesto Tono Cromatico

1.15. Libro II: Toccata Quarta A Cinque

1.16. Libro II: Ricercata Del Primo Tono Con Tre Fughe

2.1. Libro I: Canzona Franzesa Quarta

2.2. Libro I: Partite Sopra Fedele

2.3. Libro I: Canzona Franzesa Seconda

2.4. Libro I: Canto Fermo Primo Del Primo Tono

2.5. Libro I: Gagliarda Quarta

2.6. Libro I: Gagliarda Settima

2.7. Libro I: Gagliarda Ottava

2.8. Libro I: Ricercata Ottavo Tono Sopra Rugiero, Con Tre Fughe

2.9. Libro I: Partite Sopra Rugiero

2.10. Libro I: Ricercata Del Quarto Tono Con Tre Fughe, Et Inganni

2.11. Libro II: Toccata Seconda & Ligature 

2.12. Libro II: Gagliarda Terza Sopra La Mantoana

2.13. Libro II: Ancidetemi Pur

2.14. Libro II: Gagliarda Quarta Alla Spagnola

2.15. Libro II: Toccata Prima

2.16. Libro II: Gagliarda Quinta Cromatica Detta La Trabacina

2.17. Libro II: Ricercata Quarto Tono Con Tre Fughe E Suori Riversi

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Nicola Porpora & Giovanni Battista Costanzi - 6 Cello Sonatas

"After having attended the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gest' Cristo, Nicola Porpora (1686-1768), one of the first teachers of singing of the Neapolitan school, debuted with Agrippina at the Palazzo Reale of Naples in 1708; from 1711 to 1725 he was Kapellmeister (maestro di cappella) of the Prince of Hessen-Darmstadt — who was temporarily in Naples with the Austrian army — and composed the operas 'Flavio Anicio Olibrio' (1711) and 'Basilio re d'oriente' (1713), then 'Arianna e Teseo' (1714) and 'Temistocle' (1718) for Vienna, the serenades 'Angelica' (1720) and 'Gli orti esperidi' (1721). From 1715 to 1721 he was teacher of singing and composition at Conservatorio di Sant'Onofrio in Naples. In Rome, 'Berenice regina d'Egitto' (1718) — composed by Porpora and Domenico Scarlatti, 'Eumene' (1721), 'Adelaide' (1723) and 'Didone Abbandonata' (1725) were performed. In Venice, he worked as a teacher in the Ospedale degli incurabili until 1733, when he accepted to move to London in order to lead an opera company (Opera of the Nobility) which debuted with 'Arianna in Nasso' (1733). After a short period spent between Venice and Naples, he moved to Dresda for 'Filandro' (1747), an opera composed for the birthday of Maria Antonia, princess of Baviera. His career was constantly vexed by a ruthless competition: on the Italian scenes his competitors were Leo and Vinci, Handel in London, Hasse in Dresda; the latter later achieved the role of Oberkapellmeister in the capital of Saxony, which forced Porpora to move to Vienna until 1758, when he moved back to Naples where he had a teaching post at Sant'Onofrio. Amongst his students, he had some of the most renowned evirati singers (emasculated singers), such as Caffarelli and Farinelli (later, in 1750, Porpora also became Haydn's teacher, who had previously been his assistant). 

 

"Surely, Porpora did not become famous because of his didactic production, but because of his vast catalogue of vocal music, both operatic and chamber music; however the reception of his solfeges — both in printed editions (in 1858, almost one hundred years after his death, Porpora's 'Elements of Singing' was released in London) and in direct adoption by several singers — makes him even more remarkable; moreover, he is considered a real founder of schools, in the same way as Chopin and Liszt were for piano during the Romanticism. 

 

"His mastery in vocal teaching also reflects on the not copious, but still refined instrumental production, whose roots are to be found in the influential style imposed by Arcangelo Corelli in Rome, where the latter would lead an orchestra composed by well-known cellists (for instance, Giovan Lorenzo Lulier, Giovanni Bononcini, Filippo Amadei), who might not be famous for the Sonatas or the Concertos, but they surely are for the Cantatas. 

 

"Giovanni Battista Costanzi (Rome 1704-1778), composer and cello virtuoso, made his technique available to the author, in order for the notation to be suitable for his instrument. Therefore, both Porpora's violin and cello are explicitly 'singers,' more strongly than they usually are in baroque music — where they are oriented to emulating the vox humana — due to the fact that in Porpora's operas they sing as celebrities of the theatre scene, not as models of an abstract voice. The part of the first cello is particularly peculiar to Chamber Symphonies and of Sonatas for two violins and two cellos. The agile and melodious virtuosity of the first cello is affected by Porpora's habit of listening to Neapolitan cellists, such as Giovanni Carlo Cailo, Rocco Greco and, most importantly, the young Francischello Alborea and Francesco Supriano (the latter created an innovative method which contains several varieties of musical figures used by Porpora). In order to further verify the relationship between voice and cello, it is useful to take into consideration an interesting case of Cantata by Porpora himself ('Or sl m'avveggio, oh Amore'), which contains a part for concertante cello that duets with the soprano and uses the same variety of musical figures as the Sonatas. 

 

"Listening to Porpora's Sonatas, rarely performed or even recorded, contributes to document the rich Neapolitan cellist scene which consists of not only the operas composed by the virtuous artists themselves, but also of the cantatas and serenades with one or two obbligati cellos and concertos for cello (both cases are operas by Leonardo Leo). This music, neglected for a long time, has the triple role of increasing the knowledge about authors who are usually mentioned only in cases of Opera Houses, completing the linguistic overview which aims at explaining the virtuous appearance of this instrument during the first half of the Eighteenth Century (previously present only in Vivaldi and Bach's operas, who also knew the Neapolitan music), and showing the basis on which the galante and the classic cellos (that of the renowned concertos of Franz Josef Haydn) are founded." (Carlo Fiore, tr. Giuseppe Leone. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Adriano Maria Fazio, Anna Camporini, Katarzyna Solecka, Pedro Alcacer, Lorenzo Profita

1. Sonata No. 1 In C Major: I. Amoroso

2. Sonata No. 1 In C Major: II. Allegro

3. Sonata No. 1 In C Major: III. Tempo Giusto

4. Sonata No. 1 In C Major: IV. Allegro

5. Sonata No. 2 In G Minor: I. Affettuoso

6. Sonata No. 2 In G Minor: II. Allegro

7. Sonata No. 2 In G Minor: III. Adagio

8. Sonata No. 2 In G Minor: IV. Allegro

9. Sonata No. 3 In G Major: I. Adagio

10. Sonata No. 3 In G Major: II. Allegro

11. Sonata No. 3 In G Major: III. Adagio Staccato

12. Sonata No. 3 In G Major: IV. Allegro

13. Sonata No. 4 In B Major: I. Adagio E Staccato

14. Sonata No. 4 In B Major: II. Allegro

15. Sonata No. 4 In B Major: III. Adagio

16. Sonata No. 4 In B Major: IV. Allegro Staccato

17. Sonata No. 5 In C Minor: I. Adagio

18. Sonata No. 5 In C Minor: II. Allegro

19. Sonata No. 5 In C Minor: III. Adagio

20. Sonata No. 5 In C Minor: IV. Allegro

21. Sonata No. 6 In G Major: I. Adagio

22. Sonata No. 6 In G Major: II. Allegro

23. Sonata No. 6 In G Major: III. Largo

24. Sonata No. 6 In G Major: IV. Allegro Staccato

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Johann Nepomuk Hummel / Jan Ladislav Dussek / George Onslow - Piano Quintets

"In 1788 the ten-year old Hummel and his father embarked on an extensive concert tour of Europe. The little Johann Nepomuk had already received two years of music lessons from Mozart and had just made his debut as a concert pianist. Three years earlier the family had moved from Presburg (Bratislava, now the capital of Slovakia) to Vienna when the father accepted the position of conductor at the Theater auf der Wieden. At just seven years of age Johann had gone to live with Mozart and had made rapid progress, becoming very competent on the violin and piano. Master Mozart was frequently absent because of his tours to Prague and he eventually advised his pupil's father to take the boy on tour himself. While on tour Johann performed the works of his teacher. Via Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Scotland, the father and son arrived in London in 1792. Hummel's first performance there took place on the 5th of May and the 13 -year-old was received with great acclaim from an enthusiastic audience.

"This was probably the only period during which the three composers represented on this CD found themselves in the same place: Dussek, already famous as a pianist and composer; Hummel as a child prodigy; and Onslow, then only eight years old, who was taking music lessons from the composer Hüllmandel. 

"In the year 1792 London was a bustling international city. The trade of exotic products from the colonies had led to prosperity that was reflected in the rise of the middle class. Along with new-found wealth, this group also assimilated the culture that had previously been the exclusive realm of the upper class. When the Revolution broke out in France, many musicians and artists sought refuge across the English Channel. Johann Ladislav Dussek was one of these. 

"[...] The premiere of Dussek's 'Quintet in F minor' took place at the King's Theatre in 1799. Dussek himself played the piano, father and son Cramer played the violin and viola, a Mr. White played the cello, and the legendary bassist Dragonetti performed on the contrabass. 

"After his marriage to Sophia Corri in 1792, Dussek became a partner in her father's publishing house. Neither father nor son-in-law had a great deal of business acumen and the company was declared bankrupt in 1800. Dussek had already fled London at the end of 1799 to escape his creditors. He left his wife and daughter behind there and would never return. 

"The two remaining composers represented on this CD spent only a brief time in London. Johann Nepomuk Hummel returned to Vienna in 1793 and continued his musical studies with Albrechtsberger and Salieri. George Onslow returned to his parents in France in the same year. It is probable that he was only sent to his uncle in London to receive his early education. [...]

"[...] In 1802 Hummel had already been back in Vienna for ten years. He was no longer a child prodigy and as a man in his early twenties had yet to begin his career. He played in salons, gave lessons and slowly built up his connections. At that time he composed little, his opus consisted of only a few pieces for piano solo and some chamber music, not yet extending beyond opus 9. 

"According to the article on Hummel in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians', the 'Piano Quintet in E-flat minor, op.87' was written in 1802. This date is problematic because pianos at that time lacked the range necessary to perform this piece. The Viennese piano around 1800 had a range of 5½ octaves, while the quintet requires 6½. The problem of the range of the piano could be explained by proposing that Hummel composed the piece for an earlier instrument and revised it in 1822, when it was finally published, adapting it for the larger instruments then available. There remains yet another mystery: the title page reads 'Quintet in E-flat major' while the piece is actually composed in the minor mode. This could be the result of a copyists' misreading of the German key designations Es (E-flat major) and es (E-flat minor), or perhaps publishers thought that E-flat minor, with its six flats, would seem too difficult for prospective buyers. We will probably never know the real reason. 

"At the time of the quintet's publication, Hummel was Kapellmeister at the court of Weimar. Between these periods in Vienna and Weimar, he followed Haydn for a short time as Kapellmeister at the court of Esterházy, but apparently disliked the position. 

"He travelled frequently to the capital in 1814-15 to enjoy the festivities associated with the Congress of Vienna. It was here that Hummel achieved fame as the 'waltz composer'.

"In a group portrait painted by Antoine Maurin in 1844 entitled 'Galerie des compositeurs dramatiques modernes', we see George Onslow together with leading musicians Halevy, Meyerbeer, Spontini, Rossini, Berlioz, Donizetti, Berton, Mendelssohn, and Auber. A few years earlier Onslow had been granted membership to the prestigious Academie des Beaux-Arts, where he succeeded Cherubini in 1842. 

"It had been around 40 years earlier that Onslow had travelled to London to take lessons from Johann Baptist Cramer. These early music lessons, first with Hilllmandel, then Dussek in Hamburg and later Cramer were not intended to prepare Onslow for a career as a professional musician but were simply part of an aristocratic education. George's grandfather was the first Earl of Onslow. Onslow's father had been forced to leave England after a family scandal and had continued his life as a nobleman in France. George was born there and grew up in the magnificent castle of Chalendrat in Clermont-Ferrand, where he followed his father as lord of the manor. At the age of 22 he discovered the operas of Méhul and decided then that music was his vocation. Onslow combined this double life of composer and chatelain in Auvergne but in the winter season he appeared frequently in Parisian musical circles. In the 1830s and 40s opera comique was the favorite musical genre in the French capital. Composers such as Meyerbeer, Rossini, and Donizetti were popular, alongside the salons where Liszt and Chopin presented their romantic bravura piano music. Although Onslow was included in Maurin's portrait beside the fashionable composers of the day, his musical style was very different from that of his colleagues. With his strict classical style, Onslow was unique in Paris. As a composer he concentrated on instrumental works, primarily chamber music: his opus includes 36 string quartets, 34 quintets and 3 piano quintets. Schumann described Onslow's quartets as worthy successors to those by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Onslow was accepted as a member of countless prestigious musical societies and was invited to renowned festivals. 

"The 'Piano Quintet op. 76', written in 1846, is an arrangement of his 4th Symphony. An interesting feature of this work is the nickname of the Finale, 'Le Coup de Vent'. Although not mentioned by Onslow himself, this movement is suggestive of the Aeolian harp, an instrument popular in the 19th century. When placed by an open window, this instrument, consisting of strings in a box, would vibrate in the wind, producing an ethereal sound. Onslow might have been imitating this effect in the Finale with his use of rapid chromatic scales and a glass-like tinkling that can only be achieved with a special pedal effect available on some instruments of that period." (Riko Fukuda, tr. Felicity Goodwin. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet

1. Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Quintet In E-Flat Minor, Op. 87: I. Allegro E Risoluto Assai

2. Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Quintet In E-Flat Minor, Op. 87: II. Menuetto-Allegro Con Fuoco

3. Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Quintet In E-Flat Minor, Op. 87: III. Largo

4. Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Piano Quintet In E-Flat Minor, Op. 87: IV. Allegro Agitato

5. Jan Ladislav Dussek - Piano Quintet In F Minor, Op. 41: I. Allegro Non Troppo

6. Jan Ladislav Dussek - Piano Quintet In F Minor, Op. 41: II. Adagio Espressivo Non Troppo

7. Jan Ladislav Dussek - Piano Quintet In F Minor, Op. 41: III. Allegretto Ma Espressivo

8. George Onslow - Piano Quintet In G Major, Op. 76: I. Largo - Allegro

9. George Onslow - Piano Quintet In G Major, Op. 76: II. Scherzo: Allegro Vivace

10. George Onslow - Piano Quintet In G Major, Op. 76: III. Romanza: Andantino Molto Cantabile

11. George Onslow - Piano Quintet In G Major, Op. 76: IV. Finale 'Le Coup De Vent'

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Jan Ladislav Dussek - Piano Sonatas Op. 44 & Op. 77

"The Sonata Op.44 is not only a dedication to and a farewell with Dussek’s friend and musical contemporary Muzio Clementi. It is also a journey through all the musical styles and époques to which Dussek bore witness. The polyphony and the canonic imitations in the development of the 1st movement represent the heritage of the Baroque era. The clear lines of the rhetorical formulae in the 1st movement belong to the classical style of Haydn and Mozart. The exquisite coquetry of the dance in the Trio of the Menuet relate to the salon of the pre-Chopin times. And the last bars of the Sonata are blown away in an extraordinary gesture of farewell.

"The Sonata Op.77 (L’Invocation) deserves its reputation as one of the most outstanding of Dussek’s works. It is not free of the weaker traits of the earlier pieces: the clichés in form, the trivial appoggiaturas and sighs, the use of diminished 7th chords to express passion and tragedy, and the tonal monotony (especially in the 1st movement and the Menuet). Nevertheless, the emotional candor, the romantic impulse, the depressive melancholy in the presentiment of his coming death make up for the lack of invention in manipulating the musical material. Both in the 1st and the final movements, the music achieves dramatic heights only to break down and fall deep into resignation and despair. Dussek surpasses Beethoven and Schubert in the expression of subjective feeling. In this Sonata, he reaches out to the Romanticism of Chopin (3rd mvt.), Schumann (episodes of the Finale) and Brahms (Trio). Again and again, the listener is impressed by the fusion of baroque archaism, classical sonata forms, the novelty and expression of the melodic contour, the richness of the piano writing and the boldness in the use of all possible resources of the instrument. (Alexei Lubimov, tr. Liza Miller. From the liner notes.)

Performer: Alexei Lubimov

1. Piano Sonata No. 18 In E-Flat Major, Op. 44, Craw 178: I. Introduzione. Grave - Allegro Moderato
2. Piano Sonata No. 18 In E-Flat Major, Op. 44, Craw 178: II. Molto Adagio E Sostenuto
3. Piano Sonata No. 18 In E-Flat Major, Op. 44, Craw 178: III. Tempo Di Menuetto Piuttosto Allegro
4. Piano Sonata No. 18 In E-Flat Major, Op. 44, Craw 178: IV. Rondo. Allegro Moderato Ed Espressivo
5. Piano Sonata No. 28 In F Minor, Op. 77, Craw 259: I. Allegro Moderato, Ma Energico
6. Piano Sonata No. 28 In F Minor, Op. 77, Craw 259: II. Tempo Di Menuetto. Con Moto
7. Piano Sonata No. 28 In F Minor, Op. 77, Craw 259: III. Adagio Non Troppo, Ma Solenne
8. Piano Sonata No. 28 In F Minor, Op. 77, Craw 259: IV. Rondo. Allegro Moderato

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