Michael Talbot | University of Liverpool (original) (raw)
Books by Michael Talbot
The Consort, 2022
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (NC) possesses, in its Luigi Silva Musical Score a... more The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (NC) possesses, in its Luigi Silva Musical Score and Personal Papers Collection (shelfmark: Silva Box 17–1), a manuscript anthology of music (58 items in all) composed or arranged for the cello that was compiled in the mid-eighteenth century. Little is known about the commissioner, copyist and recipient of the album, which contains not only music written originally for cello – most notably, an early version of Willem Defesch’s six cello sonatas Op. 1b – but also arrangements for that instrument of sonatas and individual sonata movements for violin (by Corelli, Boni, Klein, Vivaldi, Valentini and unidentified composers) and arrangements of vocal movements, mostly taken from Handel operas. The collection reveals the extent to which, during the first thirty years or so of its popularity among amateur musicians, the cello repertoire was dependent on arrangements of pieces taken from other repertoires
De Musica Disserenda, 2006
The “Stylized” Dance in Italian Sonatas of the late Baroque Michael Talbot Taking as its main p... more The “Stylized” Dance in Italian Sonatas of the late Baroque
Michael Talbot
Taking as its main points of reference the “Manchester” violin sonatas of Vivaldi (c. 1726) and the Trattenimenti armonici per camera, Op. 6 (c. 1712), of Albinoni, the paper argues that the highly variable nature of movements bearing a given dance title in the Italian sonata of the late Baroque cannot be fully explained by the traditional reference to their “stylization” or “idealization”. The adoption of binary form also by abstract movements during the seventeenth century, a trend that gathered momentum after 1700, created a borderland in which the composer had a degree of choice in deciding whether to use, or not to use, dance titles. The “Manchester” sonatas employ dance titles even in cases where the title has clearly been added post factum. The Trattenimenti armonici, in contrast, do not use them even when a clear dance character is present.
To explain this apparently contradictory situation, the concept of “stylised” dances needs to be complemented by another concept: that of using dance titles as “paratexts” (a term coined by the French literary theorist Gérard Genette). A paratext is a description external to the text proper that aims to guide the reception of the piece by the consumer (which in music embraces both the executant and the listener). Because of the association of the “standard” dances (allemanda, corrente, sarabanda, giga, gavotta) with the courtly lifestyle, the inclination among composers was to retain or invent dance titles for music destined for a courtly milieu. Conversely, for music aimed at a bourgeois market or intended for possible performance in church, dance titles were less appropriate.
The paper ends with the reflection that Genette’s concept of the paratext, which has an obvious connection to Jeffrey Kallberg’s idea of the “generic contract”, has wide relevance to the study of music.
Studi vivaldiani, 2019
Michael Talbot VIVALDI, ORLANDINI AND A MANUSCRIPT IN SKARA Summary The municipal library, ... more Michael Talbot
VIVALDI, ORLANDINI AND A MANUSCRIPT IN SKARA
Summary
The municipal library, called Stifts- och Landsbiblioteket, in the small Swedish town of Skara holds a large collection of ‘loose’ arias from the eighteenth century grouped under the generic shelfmark “494”. These were collected by Swedish visitors to Italy as souvenirs of their travels and in some instances for practical use back home. One such item, occupying a single gathering of four folios, is no. 494:62, which contains two arias for tenor: (1) the aria “Cada pur sul capo audace”, attributed in the manuscript correctly to Vivaldi and copied in the hand of Scribe 2 (in Paul Everett’s classification); (2) an anonymous aria (copied in short score by a different hand), “Fu del re comando allora”, which turns out to be by Giuseppe Maria Orlandini and is listed in the Ryom catalogue as RV Anh. 59:14. This pair of arias was probably purchased in Venice during the carnival season of 1718. “Cada pur” belongs to Artabano, re de’ Parti (RV 706-B), “Fu del re” to Orlandini’s Antigona.
The article discusses the music of both arias in the context of their parent works, correcting certain misconceptions that have arisen about the respective productions. Vivaldi’s aria is categorized as not merely an aria all’unisono but also (largely by virtue of that feature) a ‘variable-register’ aria capable of being sung without transposition of the instrumental accompaniment by singers belonging to different voice types. This flexibility was evidently one of the reasons behind its frequent recycling. For Orlandini’s aria, the discussion centres on that composer’s musical language. The special role of short scores (often with their instrumental ritornellos excised) in the extension of operatic music to the private, domestic sphere is acknowledged, and to some extent justified. Finally, the article provides new information on Orlandini’s librettist, Benedetto Pasqualigo (1673-1743) and his drama Antigona .
The complete volume of Studi vivaldiani, 19 (2019), where this article is published on pp. 51-64, is downloadable from <https://www.cini.it/pubblicazioni/studi-vivaldiani-19-2019>.
Eighteenth-Century Music, 2006
two more new vivaldi finds in dresden janice b. stockigt and michael talbot A B S T R A C T Two f... more two more new vivaldi finds in dresden janice b. stockigt and michael talbot A B S T R A C T Two further unknown sacred vocal compositions by Vivaldi, a Dixit Dominus and a Lauda Jerusalem, have turned up in a collection that has already witnessed two similar discoveries in recent decades: that of the former Saxon Hofkapelle, today in the Sächsische Landesbibliothek / Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden. Like their predecessors, the newly discovered works were acquired between the mid-1750s and early 1760s from the copying shop of Iseppo Baldan in Venice, who falsified the attribution on the title page to make the composer Galuppi instead of Vivaldi. Whereas the Lauda Jerusalem is an arrangement by Vivaldi of an anonymous stile antico setting of the same psalm in his own collection (and in turn the model for his own Credidi propter quod, rv605), the Dixit Dominus, scored for choir, soloists and orchestra, is an entirely original composition of outstanding musical quality that dates from the composer's late period. This article explores the background to the Hofkapelle's purchases from Baldan and provides a description of the new compositions, together with several arguments (based on musical concordances, general stylistic features and notational characteristics) for their attribution to Vivaldi.
Studi vivaldiani, 2017
The article argues for the acceptance as a genuine work by Vivaldi of a further work, a single-mo... more The article argues for the acceptance as a genuine work by Vivaldi of a further work, a single-movement setting for choir and strings of the psalm Laetatus sum, fraudulently attributed to Galuppi in the Dresden manuscript Mus. 2973-D-36 by Iseppo Baldan, the proprietor of the Venetian copisteria that around 1760 supplied the Saxon-Polish court, temporarily removed to Warsaw during the period of the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), with a large and comprehensive repertory of sacred vocal music primarily consisting of works genuinely by that composer. This newly identified work, henceforth to be known as RV 827, joins RV 795, RV 803, RV 807 and RV Anh. 35a in the group of works by Vivaldi misattributed to Galuppi by Baldan, who had probably received them (correctly attributed, of course) from one or other of the two nephews of Vivaldi – Daniele Mauro and Carlo Vivaldi – who had previously worked for him.
The justification for the attribution of RV 827 to Vivaldi is made primarily on general stylistic grounds, reinforced by a few instances of thematic concordance with actual works by him and certain notational similarities. The opportunity is also taken to introduce the work by analysing its form and evaluating its aesthetic qualities. It appears to date from the early 1730s and to have no connection with the Ospedale della Pietà. As one of the longest and most complex single-movement psalm settings to come from Vivaldi’s pen, it constitutes an interesting and valuable addition to his catalogue. It has very recently been published in the Critical Edition of Vivaldi's works.
Maurice Greene (1696–1755), best known for his sacred and secular vocal music on English texts, l... more Maurice Greene (1696–1755), best known for his sacred and secular vocal music on English texts, left a substantial corpus of vocal chamber music set to Italian texts that remained unpublished during his lifetime and has not been studied in detail until now. It comprises ten cantatas for soprano and continuo, one cantata and seven chamber arias for voice, violin and continuo, four chamber duets and a cycle, scored variously for soprano and bass voice with continuo, of 15 settings of Anacreontic odes translated into Italian by Paolo Rolli. Greene was the only major English composer contemporary with Handel to produce such a quantity and variety of ‘Italian’ vocal music, and these compositions, which evidence a very good knowledge of the Italian language and Italian musical style, are of a quality to match their Handelian counterparts. They are subtle, responsive to the text and in certain respects very distinctive and original.
Jóhannes Ágústsson brought to my attention a set of three “Concerti à tre” by Georg Philipp Telem... more Jóhannes Ágústsson brought to my attention a set of three “Concerti à tre” by Georg Philipp Telemann in what appeared to him to be Giovanni Battista Vivaldi’s hand preserved in the SLUB in Dresden. His identification was correct and immediately raised the question of how and why Antonio Vivaldi’s father, previously known to have copied only works by, or directly relevant to, his son, should have copied music by a distant, apparently unconnected composer. The three works are TWV 42: D 15 (for flute, scordatura violin and bass), TWV 42: e 7 (for flute, violin and bass) and TWV 42: A 9 (for oboe d’amore or violin, flute and bass). (The last-named work has on occasion been attributed incorrectly to Antonio Lotti.)
There are strong arguments for believing that these trios were sent to Venice by Telemann in 1716-17 for the use of the elite group of Dresden musicians serving the visiting electoral prince. During much of 1717 the group’s violinist, Johann Pisendel, was absent on a study and music-collecting tour of Italy, so it is possible that Antonio Vivaldi deputized for the absent virtuoso – which would explain G. B. Vivaldi’s involvement as a copyist. Alternatively, G. B. Vivaldi could have executed the task as a favour to Pisendel, a pupil and friend of his father.
The apparent genre designation “concerto” chosen for these trios by Telemann raises the possibility of a musical connection to Vivaldi’s concertos without orchestra, the historical connection of which with the visit of the Saxons is generally recognized. However, Telemann’s choice of this title appears rather capricious and unrelated to any concerto-like features, whereas Vivaldi’s chamber concertos are genuine translations of the concerto idiom into a new medium. Although Telemann’s titles may have stimulated Vivaldi’s imagination, the musical character of his pieces seems to have left no mark on his Venetian colleague.
Finally, the relationship of Vivaldi’s chamber concertos to the so-called quadri of Telemann and other Germans is re-examined. It appears that during the 1710s Telemann and Vivaldi moved along parallel but non-convergent tracks in their creation of music for ‘mixed’ instrumental chamber ensembles: despite some surface similarities, the two genres did not influence one another in any direct way.
The full article (Studi vivaldiani, 15 (2015), pp. 55-72) can be downloaded from the page <www.cini.it/publications/studi-vivaldiani-15-2015>.
An exploration, and a debate between several viewpoints, of the work-concept as it affects (or no... more An exploration, and a debate between several viewpoints, of the work-concept as it affects (or not) different musical traditions. The essayists include Lydia Goehr and Reinhard Strohm.
A panoramic study of the character and structure of finales in Western instrumental music from th... more A panoramic study of the character and structure of finales in Western instrumental music from the Renaissance to the present, with an emphasis on the late Baroque, Classical and romantic periods.
The multi-authored volume deals with a wide variety of topics within art music and popular music,... more The multi-authored volume deals with a wide variety of topics within art music and popular music, all concerning in some way the music trade and the economics of music.
An all-round account of Vivaldi's cantatas and their place in the composer's oeuvre. The book inc... more An all-round account of Vivaldi's cantatas and their place in the composer's oeuvre. The book includes a description of the cantata genre in general that has a wider relevance.
An all-round account of Vivaldi's cantatas and their place in the composer's oeuvre. The book inc... more An all-round account of Vivaldi's cantatas and their place in the composer's oeuvre. The book includes a description of the cantata genre in general that has a wider relevance.
Proceedings of a conference held on the occasion of the modern premiere of Vivaldi's recently dis... more Proceedings of a conference held on the occasion of the modern premiere of Vivaldi's recently discovered opera "Motezuma". The essays, all in English, discuss "Motezuma" itself (Steffen Voss), Vivaldi's late operas (Reinhard Strohm), operas on American subjects (Juergen Maehder), Vivaldi's connections with Leonardo Vinci (Kurt Markstrom), Vivaldi and the exotic (Melania Bucciarelli)Vivaldi's nephew Pietro Mauro (Micky White and Michael Talbot) and the modern revival of Vivaldi's operas (Frédéric Delaméa).
This is a collection of essays, edited by me, on the (mostly) Italian cantata from (roughly) Stra... more This is a collection of essays, edited by me, on the (mostly) Italian cantata from (roughly) Stradella to Vinci. It discusses the morphology, history, reception, performing practice and discography of the genre. Ther authors include Marco Bizzarini, Norbert Dubowy, Carolyn Giahturco, Reinmar Emans, Lowell Lindgren, Giulia Nuti, Graham Sadler, Hendrik Schulze, Colin Timms, Roger-Claude Travers and Giulia Veneziano. All the essays are in English.
A study of Vivaldi's use of fugue and fugal techniques in his vocal and instrumental compositions... more A study of Vivaldi's use of fugue and fugal techniques in his vocal and instrumental compositions, which shows how often and how successfully he turned to this technique-cum-form, notwithstanding his reputation as a pioneer of homophony. The book also includes much discussion of the history and nature of fugue generally.
An anthology, edited by me, of important journal articles (reproduced in facsimile) concerning Vi... more An anthology, edited by me, of important journal articles (reproduced in facsimile) concerning Vivaldi's life and music, selected for their authoritativeness and/or their importance for Vivaldian studies. Most of the articles are in English, with a few in Italian or German. I add an introductory commentary.
A dictionary of persons, places, works, forms, terminology etc. associated with Antonio Vivaldi, ... more A dictionary of persons, places, works, forms, terminology etc. associated with Antonio Vivaldi, complemented by a biography of the composer, a work list and a very extensive bibliography cross-referenced with the dictionary.
Papers by Michael Talbot
The Musical Times, 2023
This article deals with the life and music of the violinist, cellist and composer Frederick Ernes... more This article deals with the life and music of the violinist, cellist and composer Frederick Ernest Fisher, first brought to light with enthusiasm in the 1950s by Stanley Sadie but subsequently strangely neglected. Born and trained in Kassel, Friedrich Ernst Fischer worked for a while in Leiden in the service of the university's music society before moving to England in 1746. After a very brief period in London, Fisher (to use the English form of his surname) settled in Cambridge, where he served the local music society as its resident professional musician with responsibility for teaching stringed instruments. The only music by him to survive consists of two published collections of trio sonatas for two violins, cello and continuo: twelve compositions in all. The consistently high quality of these sonatas amply justifies Sadie's assessment of two of them as 'among the finest of their time'. Modern editions of them by the present writer make verification of this claim simpler. The sonatas are remarkable for their thematic economy, contrapuntal and harmonic dexterity, perfection of form, variety and strong musical ideas. They both look back to the High Baroque period and forward to the Early Classical period, exemplifying the galant period (but without any hint of preciosity or triviality). Enquiries to the author are welcomed.
The Consort, 2022
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (NC) possesses, in its Luigi Silva Musical Score a... more The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (NC) possesses, in its Luigi Silva Musical Score and Personal Papers Collection (shelfmark: Silva Box 17–1), a manuscript anthology of music (58 items in all) composed or arranged for the cello that was compiled in the mid-eighteenth century. Little is known about the commissioner, copyist and recipient of the album, which contains not only music written originally for cello – most notably, an early version of Willem Defesch’s six cello sonatas Op. 1b – but also arrangements for that instrument of sonatas and individual sonata movements for violin (by Corelli, Boni, Klein, Vivaldi, Valentini and unidentified composers) and arrangements of vocal movements, mostly taken from Handel operas. The collection reveals the extent to which, during the first thirty years or so of its popularity among amateur musicians, the cello repertoire was dependent on arrangements of pieces taken from other repertoires
De Musica Disserenda, 2006
The “Stylized” Dance in Italian Sonatas of the late Baroque Michael Talbot Taking as its main p... more The “Stylized” Dance in Italian Sonatas of the late Baroque
Michael Talbot
Taking as its main points of reference the “Manchester” violin sonatas of Vivaldi (c. 1726) and the Trattenimenti armonici per camera, Op. 6 (c. 1712), of Albinoni, the paper argues that the highly variable nature of movements bearing a given dance title in the Italian sonata of the late Baroque cannot be fully explained by the traditional reference to their “stylization” or “idealization”. The adoption of binary form also by abstract movements during the seventeenth century, a trend that gathered momentum after 1700, created a borderland in which the composer had a degree of choice in deciding whether to use, or not to use, dance titles. The “Manchester” sonatas employ dance titles even in cases where the title has clearly been added post factum. The Trattenimenti armonici, in contrast, do not use them even when a clear dance character is present.
To explain this apparently contradictory situation, the concept of “stylised” dances needs to be complemented by another concept: that of using dance titles as “paratexts” (a term coined by the French literary theorist Gérard Genette). A paratext is a description external to the text proper that aims to guide the reception of the piece by the consumer (which in music embraces both the executant and the listener). Because of the association of the “standard” dances (allemanda, corrente, sarabanda, giga, gavotta) with the courtly lifestyle, the inclination among composers was to retain or invent dance titles for music destined for a courtly milieu. Conversely, for music aimed at a bourgeois market or intended for possible performance in church, dance titles were less appropriate.
The paper ends with the reflection that Genette’s concept of the paratext, which has an obvious connection to Jeffrey Kallberg’s idea of the “generic contract”, has wide relevance to the study of music.
Studi vivaldiani, 2019
Michael Talbot VIVALDI, ORLANDINI AND A MANUSCRIPT IN SKARA Summary The municipal library, ... more Michael Talbot
VIVALDI, ORLANDINI AND A MANUSCRIPT IN SKARA
Summary
The municipal library, called Stifts- och Landsbiblioteket, in the small Swedish town of Skara holds a large collection of ‘loose’ arias from the eighteenth century grouped under the generic shelfmark “494”. These were collected by Swedish visitors to Italy as souvenirs of their travels and in some instances for practical use back home. One such item, occupying a single gathering of four folios, is no. 494:62, which contains two arias for tenor: (1) the aria “Cada pur sul capo audace”, attributed in the manuscript correctly to Vivaldi and copied in the hand of Scribe 2 (in Paul Everett’s classification); (2) an anonymous aria (copied in short score by a different hand), “Fu del re comando allora”, which turns out to be by Giuseppe Maria Orlandini and is listed in the Ryom catalogue as RV Anh. 59:14. This pair of arias was probably purchased in Venice during the carnival season of 1718. “Cada pur” belongs to Artabano, re de’ Parti (RV 706-B), “Fu del re” to Orlandini’s Antigona.
The article discusses the music of both arias in the context of their parent works, correcting certain misconceptions that have arisen about the respective productions. Vivaldi’s aria is categorized as not merely an aria all’unisono but also (largely by virtue of that feature) a ‘variable-register’ aria capable of being sung without transposition of the instrumental accompaniment by singers belonging to different voice types. This flexibility was evidently one of the reasons behind its frequent recycling. For Orlandini’s aria, the discussion centres on that composer’s musical language. The special role of short scores (often with their instrumental ritornellos excised) in the extension of operatic music to the private, domestic sphere is acknowledged, and to some extent justified. Finally, the article provides new information on Orlandini’s librettist, Benedetto Pasqualigo (1673-1743) and his drama Antigona .
The complete volume of Studi vivaldiani, 19 (2019), where this article is published on pp. 51-64, is downloadable from <https://www.cini.it/pubblicazioni/studi-vivaldiani-19-2019>.
Eighteenth-Century Music, 2006
two more new vivaldi finds in dresden janice b. stockigt and michael talbot A B S T R A C T Two f... more two more new vivaldi finds in dresden janice b. stockigt and michael talbot A B S T R A C T Two further unknown sacred vocal compositions by Vivaldi, a Dixit Dominus and a Lauda Jerusalem, have turned up in a collection that has already witnessed two similar discoveries in recent decades: that of the former Saxon Hofkapelle, today in the Sächsische Landesbibliothek / Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden. Like their predecessors, the newly discovered works were acquired between the mid-1750s and early 1760s from the copying shop of Iseppo Baldan in Venice, who falsified the attribution on the title page to make the composer Galuppi instead of Vivaldi. Whereas the Lauda Jerusalem is an arrangement by Vivaldi of an anonymous stile antico setting of the same psalm in his own collection (and in turn the model for his own Credidi propter quod, rv605), the Dixit Dominus, scored for choir, soloists and orchestra, is an entirely original composition of outstanding musical quality that dates from the composer's late period. This article explores the background to the Hofkapelle's purchases from Baldan and provides a description of the new compositions, together with several arguments (based on musical concordances, general stylistic features and notational characteristics) for their attribution to Vivaldi.
Studi vivaldiani, 2017
The article argues for the acceptance as a genuine work by Vivaldi of a further work, a single-mo... more The article argues for the acceptance as a genuine work by Vivaldi of a further work, a single-movement setting for choir and strings of the psalm Laetatus sum, fraudulently attributed to Galuppi in the Dresden manuscript Mus. 2973-D-36 by Iseppo Baldan, the proprietor of the Venetian copisteria that around 1760 supplied the Saxon-Polish court, temporarily removed to Warsaw during the period of the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), with a large and comprehensive repertory of sacred vocal music primarily consisting of works genuinely by that composer. This newly identified work, henceforth to be known as RV 827, joins RV 795, RV 803, RV 807 and RV Anh. 35a in the group of works by Vivaldi misattributed to Galuppi by Baldan, who had probably received them (correctly attributed, of course) from one or other of the two nephews of Vivaldi – Daniele Mauro and Carlo Vivaldi – who had previously worked for him.
The justification for the attribution of RV 827 to Vivaldi is made primarily on general stylistic grounds, reinforced by a few instances of thematic concordance with actual works by him and certain notational similarities. The opportunity is also taken to introduce the work by analysing its form and evaluating its aesthetic qualities. It appears to date from the early 1730s and to have no connection with the Ospedale della Pietà. As one of the longest and most complex single-movement psalm settings to come from Vivaldi’s pen, it constitutes an interesting and valuable addition to his catalogue. It has very recently been published in the Critical Edition of Vivaldi's works.
Maurice Greene (1696–1755), best known for his sacred and secular vocal music on English texts, l... more Maurice Greene (1696–1755), best known for his sacred and secular vocal music on English texts, left a substantial corpus of vocal chamber music set to Italian texts that remained unpublished during his lifetime and has not been studied in detail until now. It comprises ten cantatas for soprano and continuo, one cantata and seven chamber arias for voice, violin and continuo, four chamber duets and a cycle, scored variously for soprano and bass voice with continuo, of 15 settings of Anacreontic odes translated into Italian by Paolo Rolli. Greene was the only major English composer contemporary with Handel to produce such a quantity and variety of ‘Italian’ vocal music, and these compositions, which evidence a very good knowledge of the Italian language and Italian musical style, are of a quality to match their Handelian counterparts. They are subtle, responsive to the text and in certain respects very distinctive and original.
Jóhannes Ágústsson brought to my attention a set of three “Concerti à tre” by Georg Philipp Telem... more Jóhannes Ágústsson brought to my attention a set of three “Concerti à tre” by Georg Philipp Telemann in what appeared to him to be Giovanni Battista Vivaldi’s hand preserved in the SLUB in Dresden. His identification was correct and immediately raised the question of how and why Antonio Vivaldi’s father, previously known to have copied only works by, or directly relevant to, his son, should have copied music by a distant, apparently unconnected composer. The three works are TWV 42: D 15 (for flute, scordatura violin and bass), TWV 42: e 7 (for flute, violin and bass) and TWV 42: A 9 (for oboe d’amore or violin, flute and bass). (The last-named work has on occasion been attributed incorrectly to Antonio Lotti.)
There are strong arguments for believing that these trios were sent to Venice by Telemann in 1716-17 for the use of the elite group of Dresden musicians serving the visiting electoral prince. During much of 1717 the group’s violinist, Johann Pisendel, was absent on a study and music-collecting tour of Italy, so it is possible that Antonio Vivaldi deputized for the absent virtuoso – which would explain G. B. Vivaldi’s involvement as a copyist. Alternatively, G. B. Vivaldi could have executed the task as a favour to Pisendel, a pupil and friend of his father.
The apparent genre designation “concerto” chosen for these trios by Telemann raises the possibility of a musical connection to Vivaldi’s concertos without orchestra, the historical connection of which with the visit of the Saxons is generally recognized. However, Telemann’s choice of this title appears rather capricious and unrelated to any concerto-like features, whereas Vivaldi’s chamber concertos are genuine translations of the concerto idiom into a new medium. Although Telemann’s titles may have stimulated Vivaldi’s imagination, the musical character of his pieces seems to have left no mark on his Venetian colleague.
Finally, the relationship of Vivaldi’s chamber concertos to the so-called quadri of Telemann and other Germans is re-examined. It appears that during the 1710s Telemann and Vivaldi moved along parallel but non-convergent tracks in their creation of music for ‘mixed’ instrumental chamber ensembles: despite some surface similarities, the two genres did not influence one another in any direct way.
The full article (Studi vivaldiani, 15 (2015), pp. 55-72) can be downloaded from the page <www.cini.it/publications/studi-vivaldiani-15-2015>.
An exploration, and a debate between several viewpoints, of the work-concept as it affects (or no... more An exploration, and a debate between several viewpoints, of the work-concept as it affects (or not) different musical traditions. The essayists include Lydia Goehr and Reinhard Strohm.
A panoramic study of the character and structure of finales in Western instrumental music from th... more A panoramic study of the character and structure of finales in Western instrumental music from the Renaissance to the present, with an emphasis on the late Baroque, Classical and romantic periods.
The multi-authored volume deals with a wide variety of topics within art music and popular music,... more The multi-authored volume deals with a wide variety of topics within art music and popular music, all concerning in some way the music trade and the economics of music.
An all-round account of Vivaldi's cantatas and their place in the composer's oeuvre. The book inc... more An all-round account of Vivaldi's cantatas and their place in the composer's oeuvre. The book includes a description of the cantata genre in general that has a wider relevance.
An all-round account of Vivaldi's cantatas and their place in the composer's oeuvre. The book inc... more An all-round account of Vivaldi's cantatas and their place in the composer's oeuvre. The book includes a description of the cantata genre in general that has a wider relevance.
Proceedings of a conference held on the occasion of the modern premiere of Vivaldi's recently dis... more Proceedings of a conference held on the occasion of the modern premiere of Vivaldi's recently discovered opera "Motezuma". The essays, all in English, discuss "Motezuma" itself (Steffen Voss), Vivaldi's late operas (Reinhard Strohm), operas on American subjects (Juergen Maehder), Vivaldi's connections with Leonardo Vinci (Kurt Markstrom), Vivaldi and the exotic (Melania Bucciarelli)Vivaldi's nephew Pietro Mauro (Micky White and Michael Talbot) and the modern revival of Vivaldi's operas (Frédéric Delaméa).
This is a collection of essays, edited by me, on the (mostly) Italian cantata from (roughly) Stra... more This is a collection of essays, edited by me, on the (mostly) Italian cantata from (roughly) Stradella to Vinci. It discusses the morphology, history, reception, performing practice and discography of the genre. Ther authors include Marco Bizzarini, Norbert Dubowy, Carolyn Giahturco, Reinmar Emans, Lowell Lindgren, Giulia Nuti, Graham Sadler, Hendrik Schulze, Colin Timms, Roger-Claude Travers and Giulia Veneziano. All the essays are in English.
A study of Vivaldi's use of fugue and fugal techniques in his vocal and instrumental compositions... more A study of Vivaldi's use of fugue and fugal techniques in his vocal and instrumental compositions, which shows how often and how successfully he turned to this technique-cum-form, notwithstanding his reputation as a pioneer of homophony. The book also includes much discussion of the history and nature of fugue generally.
An anthology, edited by me, of important journal articles (reproduced in facsimile) concerning Vi... more An anthology, edited by me, of important journal articles (reproduced in facsimile) concerning Vivaldi's life and music, selected for their authoritativeness and/or their importance for Vivaldian studies. Most of the articles are in English, with a few in Italian or German. I add an introductory commentary.
A dictionary of persons, places, works, forms, terminology etc. associated with Antonio Vivaldi, ... more A dictionary of persons, places, works, forms, terminology etc. associated with Antonio Vivaldi, complemented by a biography of the composer, a work list and a very extensive bibliography cross-referenced with the dictionary.
The Musical Times, 2023
This article deals with the life and music of the violinist, cellist and composer Frederick Ernes... more This article deals with the life and music of the violinist, cellist and composer Frederick Ernest Fisher, first brought to light with enthusiasm in the 1950s by Stanley Sadie but subsequently strangely neglected. Born and trained in Kassel, Friedrich Ernst Fischer worked for a while in Leiden in the service of the university's music society before moving to England in 1746. After a very brief period in London, Fisher (to use the English form of his surname) settled in Cambridge, where he served the local music society as its resident professional musician with responsibility for teaching stringed instruments. The only music by him to survive consists of two published collections of trio sonatas for two violins, cello and continuo: twelve compositions in all. The consistently high quality of these sonatas amply justifies Sadie's assessment of two of them as 'among the finest of their time'. Modern editions of them by the present writer make verification of this claim simpler. The sonatas are remarkable for their thematic economy, contrapuntal and harmonic dexterity, perfection of form, variety and strong musical ideas. They both look back to the High Baroque period and forward to the Early Classical period, exemplifying the galant period (but without any hint of preciosity or triviality). Enquiries to the author are welcomed.
Marchitelli, Mascitti e la musica strumentale napoletana fra Sei- e Settecento, 2023
The Neapolitan violinist Michele Mascitti (1663/4-1760), who emigrated to France in 1704 or a lit... more The Neapolitan violinist Michele Mascitti (1663/4-1760), who emigrated to France in 1704 or a little earlier, was from that year until his death the leading Italian exponent of the solo sonata and trio sonata for strings in his adopted homeland and an early composer of concertos there. He was a disciple but not an epigone of Corelli, being one of the first composers in Europe to exemplify and help to solidify a 'Neo-Corellian consensus' regarding the normal structure and style for a sonata. In France he remained highly popular, providing a model for those French composers, starting with Dandrieu in 1705, who sought to write sonatas of markedly Italian cast, even though both he and his French imitators took care to make tactful accommodations with indigenous taste. He enjoyed the successive patronage of many high-ranking persons in Paris, among them the duc d'Orléans, cardinal Ottoboni and elector Max II Emanuel of Bavaria. From about 1715 onwards he was under the protection of the prominent Crozat family, at whose house he lodged. Between 1704 and 1738 Mascitti produced nine collections of instrumental music. All included sonatas for violin and continuo, but the first and fourth each contained in addition six trio sonatas for two violins, cello or bass viol and continuo, the sixth a trio sonata for violin, obbligato cello or bass viol and continuo, and the seventh four concerti grossi for an ensemble structured along Corellian lines. The article focuses on his rarely discussed trio sonatas from Opp. 1, 4 and 6. It highlights his rich musical imagination and high level of musical craftsmanship with the aid of copious music examples. His indebtedness to Corelli-greatly overstated by some disparaging later commentators-is acknowledged wherever in evidence, but equal weight is laid on his more adventurous, sometimes even experimental, side. A final plea is made for his elevation to greater prominence in musical life via more comprehensive publication, performance and recording of his music.
Svensk tidskrift för musikforskning / Swedish Journal of Music Research
Manuscript parts for an anonymous oboe concerto in G minor shelfmarked L:10 are found in the Wens... more Manuscript parts for an anonymous oboe concerto in G minor shelfmarked L:10 are found in the Wenster collection at the University Library in Lund. The concerto has the peculiarity that each of its three movements is cast in da capo aria form. It turns out that the movements have been taken from arias in two operas by Antonio Lotti, Giove in Argo (1717) and Ascanio (1718), written for performance in Dresden. The manner of conversion from aria to concerto movement is very simple, entailing the reassignment of the vocal line to oboe, lightening of the string accompaniment in some solo passages and otherwise only minimal recomposition. Great care has been taken to match the movements to one another to create an instrumental pasticcio. The evidence that Lotti himself undertook the conversion is very strong, since his only other known concerto (for oboe d’amore, in A major) likewise uses da capo aria form for each movement, something previously not encountered in the genre. The identity o...
Nuovissimi Studi Corelliani Atti Del Terzo Congresso Internazionale 1982 Isbn 88 222 3096 5 Pags 347 365, 1982
Svensk tidskrift för musikforskning / Swedish Journal of Music Research, 2023
Manuscript parts for an anonymous oboe concerto in G minor shelfmarked L:10 are found in the Wens... more Manuscript parts for an anonymous oboe concerto in G minor shelfmarked L:10 are found in the Wenster collection at the University Library in Lund. The concerto has the peculiarity that each of its three movements is cast in da capo aria form. It turns out that
the movements have been taken from arias in two operas by Antonio Lotti, Giove in Argo (1717) and Ascanio (1718), written for performance in Dresden. The manner of conversion from aria to concerto movement is very simple, entailing the reassignment of the vocal line to oboe, lightening of the string accompaniment in some solo passages and
otherwise only minimal recomposition. Great care has been taken to match the movements to one another to create an instrumental pasticcio. The evidence that Lotti himself undertook the conversion is very strong, since his only other known solo concerto (for oboe d’amore, in A major) likewise uses da capo aria form for each movement, something previously not encountered in the genre. The identity of the performer for whom these concertos were written is considered, a likely candidate being
the Dresden oboist Johann Christian Richter, whom Lotti had probably first
encountered in Venice in 1716–1717.
Handel Institute Newsletter, 2023
This short article introduces a keyboard fugue in G major from the early eighteenth or late seven... more This short article introduces a keyboard fugue in G major from the early eighteenth or late seventeenth century, preserved in manuscripts in Bologna and Berlin, that is attributed to Handel in the first source and to J. S. Bach in the second. The work is quite clearly by neither man and is likely to be of Italian authorship. The catalogue of spuriously attributed Handel works does not yet include the work, and the Bach community knows it as BWV Anh. 92. Bach scholars have seemingly been unaware previously of the Bologna concordance, which has a 'purer' musical text (the Berlin version is maladroitly modified, having five extra bars at the very end). The article examines in some detail the reasons why the fugue is inconsistent with the musical styles of both Handel and Bach, particularly in respect of its tonal architecture.
Music as Social and Cultural Practice, Jul 19, 2007
Critically examines and discusses in context the operatic (and, equally important, the non-operat... more Critically examines and discusses in context the operatic (and, equally important, the non-operatic) elements in the named oratorio by Vivaldi.
The Musical Times, 2023
This is an article about the life and music of Philip Peter Eiffert (1711–1793 ), a German-born o... more This is an article about the life and music of Philip Peter Eiffert (1711–1793 ), a German-born oboist (and doubtless also flautist), who spent most of his career in London. Eiffert came from the principality of Hesse-Nassau and began his career as a military bandsman, in which capacity he probably came to England in the 1740s. Starting in 1746, he played a very active and well-respected role in London’s concert and theatrical life up to the 1780s. He also spent periods of time in Oxford, participating in many concerts given by the musical society there. The German portraitist Johann Ludwig Tietz (his name transliterated in England as ‘Teeds’) painted him in 1758 in the pseudo-Turkish costume worn by many military bandsmen.
Eiffert produced two published sets, each of six sonatas: the first for cello (1761) and the second for transverse flute (1769). Each is of remarkable musical quality, although neither collection exceeds the level of technical difficulty attained by average professional players or good amateurs. Eiffert masters sonata form (in its early incarnation) with confidence and a sure touch. Particularly impressive are his development sections, which mix development in the strict sense with attractive new material. This music, concurrently published by Edition HH (editionhh.co.uk), deserves exploration and a place in the early music repertoire.
Oxford Music Online, 2002
Music and Letters, 2017
ABSTRACT:Matthew Novell has hitherto been one of the more obscure of the English musicians who wr... more ABSTRACT:Matthew Novell has hitherto been one of the more obscure of the English musicians who wrote trio sonatas based largely on Corellian models in the years around 1700. His set of twelve sonatas, self-published in London in 1704 and reprinted in Amsterdam by Estienne Roger in 1705, is unusual for conforming to the 'da camera' rather than the 'da chiesa' type. Although their musical quality is modest, the sonatas contain several interesting features, including the use of the still-rare key of B major. Their debt to Corelli emerges clearly in the paired grouping by key of the sonatas, their movement types and titles, and in the appearance of several stylistic hallmarks such as the 'Corelli clash' and walking bass. New biographical investigation reveals Novell to have been an amateur player of the bass viol, who was probably born around 1678 into a geographically mobile family that in previous generations had included a prominent churchman and a leading phy...
T. G. A. war in der Zeit zwischen Giuseppe Torelli (1658–1709) und Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) de... more T. G. A. war in der Zeit zwischen Giuseppe Torelli (1658–1709) und Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) der bedeutendste und innovativste Komponist von Konzerten. In den sechs Concerti, die gemeinsam mit sechs Sonaten als op. 2 veroffentlicht wurden, etablierte er als seitdem verbindliche Norm die Satzfolge schnell — langsam — schnell. Er bestatigte die eigenstandige Identitat der ersten (Solo-)V., indem er ihr ein eigenes, von dem der Orchester-V. getrenntes Stimmbuch zugestand. Er ubertrug Elemente des Opernstils (aus der einleitenden Sinfonia und der Arie) auf das rein instrumentale Genre; und er kultivierte einen robusten homophonen Stil, der nicht nur Vivaldi beeinflust hat, sondern auch Johann Sebastian Bach. Dieser fertigte sich eine Abschrift eines Konzerts von A. (op. 2 Nr. 2) an und komponierte drei Fugen uber Themen von A. (BWV 946, 950 u. 951).
This series of editions will consist of six sonatas for violin and continuo by Henricus Albicastr... more This series of editions will consist of six sonatas for violin and continuo by Henricus Albicastro (c.1660–1730), published individually. Five are preserved in manuscript only ('London' Sonatas 1-4; 'Leuven' Sonata). The other was originally published in the composer's Op. 9, which is currently inaccessible ('Kilravock' sonata); our edition is based on a contemporary manuscript copy (in the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh). These editions complement the electronic facsimile of Albicastro's Op. 5 published by the SLUB, Dresden (http://digital.slub-dresden.de/werkansicht/dlf/51660/1/).
An accompanying essay together with a thematic catalogue of Albicastro's sonatas for violin and basso continuo can be downloaded for free from the publisher's website. See http://www.editionhh.co.uk/ab_albicastro.htm
Details of the individual sonatas in this series are as follows:
‘London’ Sonata No. 1 in C minor
This sonata consists of four movements (slow – fast – slow – fast). The slow movements are lyrical, the fast movements energetically contrapuntal (in this instance, with hardly any recourse to double-stopping). Several hallmarks of Albicastro’s style are present, including suave Corellian counterpoint in the second movement (a canzona-type subject is pitted against an elaboration, mostly in semiquavers, of a ‘circle of fifths’-type progression), inter-movement quotation, and harmonic experimentation.
‘London’ Sonata No. 2 in B flat major
This sonata consists of four movements (slow – fast – slow – fast). The slow movements are lyrical, the fast movements brilliant, and clearly of Corellian inspiration (the second movement recalls the third of Sonata I from Corelli’s Op. 5). Especially characteristic of Albicastro is the extended third movement where there are modulations to various keys and prominent Neapolitan chords.
‘London’ Sonata No. 3 in F minor
This sonata consists of five movements, the first three of which are performed continuously, and culminates in a magnificent French- style ‘Passacala’ (Passacaglia). F minor is not a natural key for the violin, and some of the passage-work in semiquavers is challenging, but this sonata is arguably the most substantial and rewarding to play of the four ‘London’ works, both for the violinist and continuo.
'London' Sonata no. 4 in F major
This four-movement sonata exemplifies Albicastro’s mastery of the Corellian style. The first is a composite (Adagio-Presto-Adagio), with a Corellian opening gambit (the opening phrase is repeated a fourth lower) and a central section with allemanda-like figuration. Next is a movement in suave Corellian counterpoint, followed by an extended 3/2-time slow movement of common type in Albicastro’s sonatas (similar ones are included in two of the other ‘London’ sonatas and in the composer’s Op. 5). The final movement is giga-like, notated in common time, but performed as if in compound time.
'Leuven' Sonata in D minor
This unusually elaborate sonata survives uniquely in Leuven (Louvain), Belgium, where it forms part of the large Di Martinelli family archive. It has seven movements (or sections), of which the third and the seventh require the violinist to engage in complex double- stopping. Several features are old-fashioned for a composer of Albicastro’s generation, such as ‘solo’ sections involving rapid figuration over a slowly moving bass (II and V), and the reappearance of two portions in a transformed state (II/V and III/VII).
'Kilravock' Sonata in A minor (to be published in July 2016)
A manuscript of the present work was discovered recently in the collection of the Rose family, Lairds of Kilravock near Inverness; it has been copied in a late seventeenth- or early eighteenth-century hand and is inserted into a keyboard book of later date. Conceivably, it was brought to Scotland around the time of copying by a Scottish student returning from the University of Leiden. The sonata appears to be identical (although to what degree is uncertain) with the first of Albicastro’s Op. 9 published by Estienne Roger in 1706; the sole example of this print known to the editors is currently inaccessible. It has five movements, the second of which is noteworthy for its combination of polyphonic writing and brilliant passage-work. It is a fine example of Albicastro’s synthesis of the Corellian style with the polyphonic art of the south German school of violinists.
The Handel Institute Newsletter, 2018
This article, published in vol. 2 no. 2 (Autumn 2018) of the Handel Institute Newsletter (pp. 7–1... more This article, published in vol. 2 no. 2 (Autumn 2018) of the Handel Institute Newsletter (pp. 7–10), attributes an anonymously published poem on Handel’s blindness to Thomas Newburgh (c.1694–1776), an Irish landowner and litterateur who was also a cousin of Newburgh Hamilton, Handel’s literary collaborator. Thomas Newburgh is also of interest as an early member of the Academy of Ancient Music and a lifelong partisan of the aesthetic values espoused by the members of that body. His poem on Handel, which exists in both an earlier (1755) and a later (1769) version, bears eloquent testimony to the equal affection held for this composer’s music by the ‘ancient’ and ‘modern’ camps.
This short essay on the life of Henricus Albicastro (c.1660–1730), which includes a discussion of... more This short essay on the life of Henricus Albicastro (c.1660–1730), which includes a discussion of his preserved sonatas for violin and continuo supplemented by a thematic catalogue, is conceived as an complement to a critical edition of five violin sonatas by him preserved only in manuscript (plus one other, of which the original published edition is at present unavailable for study). The biography contains several facts, interpretations and hypotheses not contained in Étienne Darbellay’s pioneering account (1976) or in major reference works. Free access to this essay is available via the home page of the publisher of the sonatas (www.editionhh.co.uk).