Featuring: soprano, cornetto, violin, sackbut, dulcian, violone, theorbo, organ
Music in 17th century, especially in what concerns instrumental repertoire, meets the extraordinary creativity of composers willing to express their art, creating new styles and following new fashions. The instrumental repertoire starts developing on its own, knowing a brand new autonomy from vocal compositions. In some case, like for the Canzonas or Canzoni alla francese, the link between structures coming from the previous vocal repertoire is still somehow predictable, although this new musical genre evolves including more voices and totally different rhythmical subjects compared to the previously known Chanson. Another important instrumental composition developing in early baroque is undoubtedly the Sonata or Sonata Concertata, in which composers dare to explore the virtuosity of instruments, sometimes in very madly ways, combining different timbres and colors through particular instrumentations, using interesting effects such as variations over an Ostinato bass, echo effects or very twisted and unexpected harmonies. A similar treatment involves other instrumental genres like the Capriccio, the Toccata or the Ricercare. Vocal music in early baroque keeps up with innovations, and between the Mottetto Concertato, where composers masterfully combine voice and instruments, we can find the Mottetto a voce sola, directly born from the Seconda Prattica and the invention of Basso continuo. The vocal lines get a new freedom, the harmony is combined and organized using dissonances and rhetorical effects in order to powerfully move the listener’s feelings.
Dario Castello (1590-1658) Sonata XVI da Sonate Concertate in Stil Moderno
Giovanni Paolo Cima (1570-1622) Magnificat
Adriano Banchieri (1568-1634) Canzon ottava alla francese La Banchierina
Alessandro Grandi (1586-1630) O quam tu pulchra es
Gioseffo Guami (1540-1612) Canzon Francese VI a 4
Giovanni Paolo Cima Ecce Maria
Biagio Marini (1594-1663) Sonata sopra Fuggi Dolente
Giovanni Paolo Cima Surge Propera a doi, soprano e tenore
Giovanni Paolo Cima Sonata a 4
Giacomo Carissimi Exurge Cor Meum
Dario Castello Sonata XIII da Sonate concertate in stil moderno
Giovanni Bassano (1558-1617) Dic nobis Maria
Photo @Adriano Geiger