MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


Support us financially by purchasing from

Gaspare TORELLI (1572-c1613)
Amorose Faville, Il Quarto Libro delle Canzonette a tre voci (Venezia, 1608)
Gruppo Vocale Armoniosoincanto/Franco Radicchia
rec. 2019/20, Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate, Perugia, Italy
Texts included, no translations
Reviewed as a stereo 16/44 download with pdf booklet from Outhere
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 96240 [69:13]

Most music lovers may know a composer with the name Torelli. He lived from 1658 to 1709 and has become best known for his instrumental music, in which the trumpet takes a particularly important part. However, his namesake to whom the present disc is devoted, had the Christian name of Gasparo and was a contemporary of Carlo Gesualdo. He was born in Borgo S Sepolcro (now Sansepolcro), in the province of Arezzo, came from a family of functionaries and intellectuals and was a member of the clergy. His extant compositional oeuvre is exclusively secular, though. It is known for sure that at least one book with canzonettas has been lost, as this disc includes the complete canzonettas of the fourth book of 1608, and the first and second book date of 1593 and 1594 respectively.

New Grove defines the canzonetta thus: "A title given to a light secular vocal piece, particularly in the Italian style, from the late 16th century to the late 18th. As a normal diminutive of 'canzone' (song), the term may refer generically to any short, simple song." It was a very popular form of vocal chamber music, which originally was in strong contrast to the more serious madrigal, but with time adopted some of the latter's features and became generally a little more sophisticated. The choice of texts also became wider: originally they were mostly of an amorous nature, but later composers also started to set texts of a pastoral character. Canzonettas were always strophic; Torelli's canzonettas comprise two to four stanzas of different length, from three to six lines, and each falling into two parts, the first taking the character of a refrain.

Canzonettas could be scored for three to six voices, but canzonettas for three voices seems to have been the rule. Here the scoring is mostly for two sopranos and bass; some canzonettas require three male voices. In some of the pieces, the performers decided for a line-up of two female voices and lute. One wonders why instruments are involved in the performances at all. The title page seems not to give any indication in this regard. Unfortunately the liner-notes don't discuss aspects of performance practice. Obviously the instruments have no obbligato parts and follow the vocal lines. In some pieces they play a kind of interlude by performing the vocal parts.

The liner-notes do point out that elements in the text are illustrated in the music. Those who don't read Italian have to take the author's word for it, because the booklet omits English translations of the lyrics. That is very regrettable. Even so, this music is good enough to be enjoyed without them. However, given the nature of these pieces, it is probably wise not to listen to this disc at a stretch.

The singers do a fine job. The singing is lively and attentive to the text; the ensemble is excellent. Now and then a slight vibrato is noticable, but it is hardly disturbing. Those who have a special liking for the secular vocal chamber music of the period will certainly enjoy this disc, which shows that there is still much to discover beyond what is known from the main composers of the late 16th and early 17th centuries in Italy.

Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen

Contents
Chi può mirarvi [4:57]
Filli mia, dolce mio amore [3:10]
Non partir non fuggir [3:25]
Io son già morto ahi lasso [3:33]
Tra fiori e fresche erbette [3:23]
Tu non cessi donare [2:52]
Mentre la bella Clori [3:17]
Da voi mia chiara e bella [4:33]
Poi ch'il sperar m'è tolto [2:52]
Mi rid'e prendo gioco [2:35]
Chiude nel vago viso [3:34]
Divin'alta beltate [4:05]
Aspro desir [4:08]
Perché sempre mi fuggi [3:12]
Chiare christiallin' onde [4:22]
Ridon i prati [2:18]
Di Medea crud'è quella [1:29]
Morrò per voi mio sole [1:18]
Donna tu sei più bella [4:02]
Chasi cha se te branco [1:33]
An misier Cuculin [1:47]
Dimmi crudel Amore [1:55]





Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing