Modulationes sex vocum (1566)
In principio Deus [4:12]
Salve Regina [8:16]
Hodie Christus natus est [3:36]
Sebastianus Dei cultor [2:40]
Miseris omnium [3:22]
Exaudi Deus [7:25]
Miserere mei Deus [8:41]
Victimae paschali laudes [8:01]
Ascendo ad patrem meum [2:30]
Virgo prudentissima [2:38]
O quam gloriosum [3:14]
Litigabant Iudaei [3:41]
Pater noster - Ave Maria a 7 [10:17]
Singer Pur (Claudia Reinhard (soprano), Klaus Wenk, Markus Zapp, Manuel Warwitz (tenor), Reiner Schneider-Waterberg (baritone), Marcus Schmidl (bass))
Monika Mauch (soprano), Gerhard Hölzle (tenor)
rec. 20-22 February 2013, Himmelfahrtskirche, Munich-Sendling, Germany. DDD
Texts and translations included
OEHMS CLASSICS OC873 [68:41]
It is the fate of many music theorists that their compositions
are largely ignored. Johann Joseph Fux, Johann Joachim Quantz
and Johann Mattheson are just a few examples. Gioseffo Zarlino
is another; I can't remember having heard any of his works
before. That makes this disc especially interesting and significant.
As Christle Collins Judd states in her liner notes: "Understanding
Zarlino as a composer allows us to re-imagine or at least more
richly imagine him as a theorist, just as knowing Zarlino as a
theorist offers a window into the world of his compositions".
Zarlino was born in Choggia, a town on the Adriatic Sea coast,
south of Venice. In the latter city he would spent most of his
life. He received his early education from the Franciscans, took
minor orders in 1537 and became a deacon in 1539. At that time
he first worked as a singer in Choggia Cathedral, and then as
organist. Around 1540 he was ordained as a priest, and in 1541
moved to Venice where he became a pupil of Adrian Willaert, at
the time maestro di cappella of St Mark's. This
was the post he himself occupied from 1565 to 1590. Among his
pupils were Claudio Merulo, Vincenzo Galilei and Giovanni Maria
Artusi. The latter would become one of the most important theorists
around 1600.
Before him it was Zarlino who was considered as such, thanks to
his treatise Le istitutioni harmoniche which was first
published in 1558 and reprinted several times. This was followed
by two further examples, printed in 1571 and 1588 respectively.
The importance of Zarlino's most famous treatise is that
he aims at bringing together speculative theory and practice.
"The composer must not be content to master his craft; he
should know the reason for what he does, and this can be discovered
through an alliance of the rational and sensory faculties".
Thus Claude V. Palisca sums up the tenor of Zarlino's book
in New Grove. In its second part he develops a theory
of consonances and tuning. Zarlino's rules of counterpoint
are further developments of the teachings of Willaert. His own
pupil Artusi then propagated them in his own writings.
It is telling that Palisca hardly addresses Zarlino's own
compositions: "Zarlino's compositions, though learned
and polished, are of secondary interest." This could well
explain why so little - if any - of his oeuvre is available on
disc.
This present recording is devoted to the complete Modulationes
sex vocum, his second collection of motets which was printed
in 1566. That was one year after his appointment as maestro
di cappella at St Mark's. It is therefore unlikely
that he composed them specifically for a performance at this cathedral.
The texts are either liturgical or biblical, and several pieces
are connected to feasts of the ecclesiastical year. Hodie
Christus natus est is an antiphon for Christmas, Miseris
omnium an Introit for Ash Wednesday and Victimae paschali
laudes an Easter sequence. There is no very close connection
between text and music in the form of madrigalisms. A rare example
of text illustration is the rising figure which opens Ascendo
ad patrem meum (I ascend to my Father), a Responsory for
Ascension. However, the motets surely differ in character, for
instance through the use of contrasting metres. Lively rhythms
express the joy of Christmas in Hodie Christus natus est.
In all the motets the canon plays a central role. Only one of
the motets omits this technique. Four motets include a canon on
the cantus firmus which has a separate text. Two motets
have the same cantus firmus: Ne reminiscaris, Domine
- "Remember not, Lord, mine offences, nor the offences of
my forefathers, neither take thou vengeance of my sins".
Both are included in pieces for Holy Week: Miseris omnium
(mentioned above) and the penitential Psalm 56 (57), Miserere
mei Deus.
This recording shows that Zarlino's motets are beautiful
and compelling, and that there is no reason to ignore them. It
would be nice to have the opportunity to get to know his first
book of motets (1549) as well. The sound of Singer Pur is different
from that of most others because of the lack of an alto voice.
The upper part is performed by a female soprano, in this recording
sometimes joined by an guest singer (Monika Mauch). The second
part is taken by one of the tenors. This leads to generally satisfying
results, although I sometimes find that this part is a shade on
weak side. A male alto would have given it more presence. That
said, I have greatly enjoyed this disc. The ensemble is very good
and the voices blend well. The text is probably not always clearly
understandable; that aspect should be given more attention. The
German pronunciation of Latin is rather odd; I can't find
any explanation for that. Lastly, the miking is a little too close;
the music would profit from a little more reverberation.
This disc firmly puts Zarlino on the map as a composer in his
own right: he should be more than just a name in history books
and encyclopedias.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
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