Download Instrumental music of 17th century Italy Sunday July 28th – 3pm

Barocco
Instrumental music of
17th century Italy
Brendan O’Donnell - Recorder
Jackie Hansen - Baroque Bassoon
Katrina Brown - Harpsichord
Sunday July 28th – 3pm
North Adelaide Baptist Church,
Tynte Street
North Adelaide SA 5006
PROGRAMME
1. Sonata Decima per fagotto e violino Giovanni Battista Fontana c.1589-c.1630
2. Capriccio a due
Andrea Cima fl. 1601-27
3. Ricercata Quarta
Giovanni Bassano c.1558-1617
4. Sonata Sesta per violino solo
Giovanni Battista Fontana c.1589-c.1630
5. Sonata Settima a due
Dario Castello fl. 1st half 17th C.
6. Toccata Settima
Balletto, Corrente and Passacaglia
Girolamo Frescobaldi 1583-1643
7. Romanesca per violino solo e Basso se piace
8. Canzon Quarta a doi Basso e soprano
Biagio Marini 1594-1663
Bartolomeo de Selma fl. 1638
NOTES
Sonata Decima per fagotto e violino
Giovanni Battista Fontana (c.1589-c.1630)
About Fontana’s life very little is known, aside from a few basic details. He was a composer and violinist from
Brescia, who worked during his lifetime in Venice, Rome, and finally in Padua. His only surviving works are in a
collection of eighteen sonatas, Sonate a 1. 2. 3. per il violino, o cornetto, fagotto, chitarone, violoncino o simile
altro istromento. These include six sonatas for violin and a further twelve for various ensembles, which were
printed in Venice in 1641, well after his death. Among Fontana’s sonatas for ensemble are two written
specifically for bassoon and violin, though the present sonata fits the range of the soprano recorder perfectly.
The work consists of interchanging solos between violin and bassoon, punctuated with sections of
homophony, in which the parts move together to create beautiful and clear harmonic progressions.
Occasionally the interchange becomes heated, moving quickly between parts as though one line of music is
being shared by the two instruments.
Capriccio a due
Andrea Cima (fl. 1601-27)
Little is known about the Italian composer and organist Andrea Cima. The Capriccio a due (a capriccio for two)
comes from a book titled Concerti ecclesiastici (Milan 1610) meaning works written for the Church. The
capriccio comes from the Italian word ‘whim’ therefore it being whimsical in character. The work is scored for
canto, basso and continuo. Composers during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods often did not
specify the instrumentation required with canto simply meaning a treble instrument and basso a bass
instrument.
Ricercata Quarta
Giovanni Bassano (c.1558-1617)
The earliest of the composers in our program, Bassano was a composer and cornett player based in Venice.
One of the many musicians in the employ of San Marco, Bassano is best known for his 1585 treatise Ricercate,
passaggi et cadentie, which includes the present ricercar. Ricercate are generally thought to be explorations
of sound, with a sense of improvisation. Bassano’s compositions stand out from similar works by other
composers as pieces that have been thoroughly thought through, rather than appearing as transcriptions of
rather technical improvisations.
Sonata Sesta per violino solo
Giovanni Battista Fontana (c.1589-c.1630)
Of all of Fontanas works, Sonata sesta, the last of his solo violin sonatas, is also the longest and most complex.
It contains ideas and quotations from the five previous sonatas, presenting a range of different characters and
moods.
Sonata Settima a due
Dario Castello (fl. 1st half 17th C.)
Castello was a composer and wind player, and most likely led a wind ensemble at San Marco in Venice. His
two collections of Sonate concertate, though perhaps not so virtuosic as the works of some of his violinist
contemporaries, fit wind instruments particularly well. This sonata features the bassoon prominently, the
soprano line generally just imitating or playing in harmony, though the two parts constantly overlap and
intertwine.
Toccata Settima
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
Balletto, Corrente and Passacaglia
The Italian composer Frescobaldi was born in Ferrara in 1583 but spent most of his career in Rome where he
died in 1643. He was one of the most influential composers of the first half of the 17th century as well as being
a very popular organist – it is stated that almost 30,000 people attended the basilica to hear his first concert!
A toccata is a free and improvisatory style of work written for the keyboard – toccata settima is rich in
harmonic language with a variety of flamboyant passage work. Part of the enjoyment of the toccatas lies in
the ever-changing relationship between the performer and the music, given that there are many different
interpretations.
The balletto and corrente (modeled on dances) are followed by a passacaglia, which in its early form
experiments with several variations around a ground bass.
Romanesca per violino solo e Basso se piace
Biagio Marini (1594-1663)
Like Fontana, the composer, violinist, and singer Biagio Marini came originally from Brescia. He worked in
numerous locations during his life, including Venice, where he probably worked under Monteverdi at San
Marco, as well as Parma, Milan, Vicenza, and as far afield as Düsseldorf. He clearly had an interesting personal
life, too, as records indicate he was probably married three times! The romanesca is derived from a particular
harmonic progression most commonly used in the period for setting poetry to song, but also a popular
instrumental genre. This short work, from his Arie, madrigali et corenti published in Venice in 1620, begins
with a theme and variations on the basic romanesca, and is followed by two simple dance movements, a
gagliarda and a corente, also based on this theme.
Canzon Quarta a doi Basso e soprano
Bartolomeo de Selma (fl. 1638)
Little is known about the Spanish Augustinian friar, composer and bassoonist Bartolomeo de Selma. He
appears to have been an excellent bassoon player through his writing for the instrument as well as being
employed by several courts including Archduke Leopold at Innsbruck as a virtuoso bassoonist from 1628-30.
This work comes from his one surviving collection titled Primo libro de canzoni, fantasie & correnti a 1, 2, 3, 4
voci con basso continuo. Canzone is Italian for song, but became an important form of instrumental
composition during the 17th century.
BRENDAN O’DONNELL
Brendan O’Donnell has been involved in the early music scene in
Adelaide for most of his life. Having studied here with Lynton Rivers
and Jayne Varnish, he moved to New Zealand in 2008 to complete his
BMus with Kamala Bain and David Coomber, and more recently to
Salzburg, Austria, where he will shortly finish his Masters with
Dorothee Oberlinger. He has worked with a number of Adelaide
ensembles, including Adelaide Baroque and Ensemble Galante, and
has recently begun focussing on the development of small projects
with other young players. Brendan presently divides his time between
Adelaide and Munich, Germany, where he is building a reputation as a
teacher and performer.
JACKIE HANSEN
Originally from Sydney, Jackie Hansen took up the bassoon at the age
of thirteen, having previously learnt the piano and violin. She has
performed with most of Australia’s major symphony orchestras
including the Sydney, Queensland, Melbourne, and Tasmanian
Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Australian Chamber Orchestra. As
part of her busy schedule Jackie is completing a PhD at the Sydney
Conservatorium of Music focusing on performance practice for
historical bassoon. Jackie is currently the Principal Contrabassoonist of
the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
KATRINA BROWN
Katrina studied harpsichord and fortepiano with Christopher Kite in
London at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and with Kenneth
Gilbert at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Prizewinner in the 1990 Raymond
Russell Harpsichord Competition, the 1992 Broadwood Trust Fortepiano
Competition and the 1995 Brugge International Harpsichord
Competition, Katrina has given recitals as a soloist and chamber player
in Europe, Hong Kong and Australia. Performances in Australia have
included with the ASO, Salut! Baroque, Elysium Ensemble and the
Barossa Music Festival. She currently devotes her time to teaching at
Marryatville High Schools Special Interest Music Department
Next concert in this series:
The Celestial Dyad
Louisa Perfect and Raechel Damarell form a stunning
vocal duo to sing favourite Baroque duets and arias
from Monteverdi to J. S. Bach
with Lesley Lewis (harpsichord & organ)
Sunday August 18th - 3pm
VENUE: The Little Music Room
35 Blakiston Road, LITTLEHAMPTON, SA 5250
CONTACT DETAILS: [email protected]
Phone: 040 191 7090
Bookings: http://www.trybooking.com/CQDO