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Show Classical Corner ... by David Norton History & Repertoire XIV: the Italian Baroque, Part II In November, we looked at some Italian lute designs ~om the 17th Century, particularly the bizarre beastie known as the archlute. I promised to continue with a review of some of the music written for the instrument, but frankly I kept dozing off during much of the research. Three names, however, merit some discussion. The two leading master archlutenists were Alessandro Piccinini (1566-1638) and Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (1580-1651), better known as Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger, an expatriate German, for those who track these things. Their music is so closely linked with the archlute's unique (nightmarish?) tuning scheme that it is utterly unworkable on the guitar. Jakob Lindberg has a fine recording out (Italian Lute Music, BIS-226) which I recommend for anyone interested. Some of Kapsberger' s harmonic concepts sound positively Zappaesque. The real star of the Italian Baroque music school for modem-day guitarists is Antonio Vivaldi (1678 -1741). Vivaldi was a key figure in the development of the concerto form as we know it: two lively outer movements framing a more serene central section. He was incredibly prolific: a contemporary account tells of "the old man, who composes furiously and prodigiously. I have heard him undertake to compose a new concerto with all its parts more quickly than a copyist could write it all out." Recognizing its limited volume and declining appeal, Vivaldi never cast the lute in a pure solo role in any of his hundreds of full-blown concerti; for these he preferred the more resonant mandolin. Instead, Vivaldi wrote four chamber works which feature the big 14-course archlute as the protagonist. The best known of these compositions is the so-called Concerto in D Major, a KBYU-FM favorite, which was composed in about 1740 for the visit of a Polish prince to the school in Venice where Vivaldi taught. The works of Vivaldi are particularly suited to arrangements for nearly any me- ~~tf_AR CJ-~ G FRIENDLY, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE ~ l.VIA..R.TIN, GUILD, GIBSON, TAUMINlOVATION, IBANEZ1 YAMAHA, JASMINE TRY THE NEWRANE ACCOUSTIC PREAMP 470 No. 1100 W. Centerville, Utah 84014 801-292-8461 2250No. UNIV. PKWAY PLUM TREE CENTER PROVO, UTAH 84604 801-374-9242 WE WILL MEET OR BEAT ANY COMPETITOR'S PRICE 10 Intermountain Acoustic Musician, January 1994 dia. Since Vivaldi didn't play the archlute himself, there is no idiomatic usage of its tuning quirks, and therefore the compositions pose much less problem for modem adaptations. I played this particular concerto a number of years ago in California with a 12-string rhythm guitar and electric bass. The original scoring called for a standard string quartet (two fiddles, viola, & cello) and archlute. The Concerto in D Major is now generally presented in an adaptation (by Emilio Pujol) for full orchestra and guitar; Todd Woodbury gave a fine reading of this with the Colors Of The Baroque orchestra last spring. There are any number of recordings currently available. My personal recommendation is once again by the Swedish master Jakob Lindberg (on BIS 290) who has recorded the complete Vivaldi lute repertoire on one disc. Ten years earlier, while visiting Prague, Vivaldi penned three trios, scored for archlute, violin, and cello. These were dedicated to a Bohemian nobleman with the unpronounceable name of Count von Wrtby (or, if you prefer the Czech form, Comte von Vrtba). One of these, inC major, has also been successfully adapted by Pujol to orchestra and guitar, albeit in the transposed key of A major. This version, like the adapted D major concerto, is a perennial audience favorite. The other two works (in G minor and D major again) are less interesting, except perhaps to baroque string music specialists. Vivaldi often bragged that he would write a concerto for the price of a meal; perhaps he did not much appreciate his dinner on the nights these two were set down! A final word: one of the nation's leading mandolin quartets, Aldiviva (an anagram on Vivaldi), is based here in Salt Lake City. They don't play too much Italian Baroque, thankfully, but what they do offer is good music and a lively show. Don't miss them at their next show. |
