BACH & BEFORE. Stylus Fantasticus Sonatas of Bach, Buxtehude, Biber, Schmelzer & Bertali

Transcription

1 BACH & BEFORE Stylus Fantasticus Sonatas of Bach, Buxtehude, Biber, Schmelzer & Bertali

2 BACH & BEFORE Stylus Fantasticus Sonatas of Bach, Buxtehude, Biber, Schmelzer & Bertali About BACH & BEFORE Track Title Composer Running Time 1 Sonata a due in D Minor Antonio Bertali ( ) 7:42 2 Sonata III in F Major Heinrich Ignaz Biber ( ) 12:12 3 Sonata VIII in D Minor Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c ) 5:42 Sonata in G Major (BWV 1021) Johann Sebastian Bach ( ) 4 Adagio 3:21 5 Vivace 1:03 6 Largo 2:08 7 Presto 1:27 8 Sonata in A Minor (BuxWV 272) Dietrich Buxtehude (c ) 7:51 9 Sonata quarta in D Major Johann Heinrich Schmelzer 8:46 Total Program Length: 50:37 Each of the composers featured on this recording were proponents of the stylus fantasticus, a term which had its roots initially in the improvisational and virtuosic style of organ toccatas and fantasias of composers such as Frescobaldi, and which was later transmitted north through composers like Froberger. The Austro-German school of violinistcomposers of the seventeenth-century, including Bertali, Schmelzer, and Biber continued this tradition in Austria, and it was carried on, to varying degrees, in the works of Buxtehude and Bach in Germany. In 1650 the music theorist and polymath Athanasius Kircher wrote, [stylus fantasticus] is especially suited to instruments. It is the most free and unrestrained method of composing, it is bound to nothing, neither to any words nor to a melodic subject By 1739, composer and theorist Johann Mattheson described it as now swift, now hesitating, now in one voice, now in many voices, now for a while behind the beat, without measure of sound, but not without the intent to please, to overtake and to astonish. For Mattheson, stylus fantasticus not only described a style of composition, but a free and improvisatory style of performance. Antonio Bertali was born in Verona but spent most of his career north of the Alps, eventually earning the prestigious title of Kapellmeister at the Hapsburg court in Vienna. Bertali was a master craftsman, combining virtuosic string writing from his native Italy with his adopted country s sense of instrumentation and advanced

3 contrapuntal techniques. In essence, these characteristics defined the stylus fantasticus: an Italianate sense of melody, harmonic freedom, and unrestrained virtuosity, combined with a more rigorous, Germanic sense of counterpoint. In his Sonata a due, which is preserved in manuscript in the Düben Collection in Uppsala, Bertali bestows on the viola da gamba a melodic role in dialogue with the violin. The resulting dynamic relationship is rich with imitative counterpoint, and offset by free moving solo sections. Austrian Johann Heinrich Schmelzer traveled to Italy early in his career and upon returning to Austria worked closely with the Italian musicians employed there, most notably Antonio Bertali, and may have been the teacher or mentor of fellow Austrian, Heinrich Biber. Thus we can trace a direct line of transmission of the stylus fantasticus beginning with Bertali to Schmelzer, and continuing with Schmelzer to Biber. At the court of Vienna, one of Schmelzer s responsibilities was composing dance music (including over 150 dance suites), the primary purpose of which was to highlight the visual elements and fantastical characters of the many dramas, serenatas and lavish pageants in which the royal family frequently took part. Schmelzer also made notable contributions to the development of the sonata. Sonata VIII comes from Duodena selectarum sonatarum (1659), a collection of sonatas for one or two violins, viola da gamba, and continuo. It is Italianate in style and form, deftly intertwining rhetorical, imitative and solo episodes for the violin and viola da gamba. Schmelzer s later collection, Sonatae unarum fidium (1664), is the first known publication of sonatas for solo violin and continuo by a German-speaking composer. From this book we perform Schmelzer s Sonata quarta, a work built on a descending four-note ground bass pattern. Schmelzer embedded a suite of dances over the course of the many variations for the violin, including a sarabanda and gigue, moving seamlessly from one to the next. The piece eventually moves to a free, rhapsodic section in duple meter, concluding with a fiery series of arpeggios for the violin. Schmelzer became the first Austrian after a long line of Italians to be awarded the position of Kapellmeister, the highest musical appointment at the Habsburg court. His enjoyment of this post was short-lived he succumbed to the plague not long after the appointment. About Heinrich Ignaz Biber, the eighteenth-century historian Charles Burney wrote, Of all the violin players of the last century Biber seems to have been the best, and his solos are the most difficult and most fanciful of any music I have seen of the same period. Biber s Sonata in F Major comes from his Sonatae Violino Solo (1681), one of four printed collections published during the composer s years in Saltzburg. Unlike many of Biber s works, which use scordatura (variant tunings of the violin), the Sonata in F Major uses standard violin tuning. As with all eight sonatas in the collection, the violin demonstrates completely uninhibited virtuosity. At times in sixth or seventh position, these sonatas are typical of the stylus fantasticus, with free, rhapsodic and ornate preludes and finales, brilliantly inventive passagi over ostinato basses, and frequent, undaunted use of double stops. Dietrich Buxtehude likely received his first musical training from his father, who was organist at St. Olai Kirke in Elsinore,

4 Denmark. Buxtehude s first post was at St. Maria Kyrka in Helsingborg, and by 1668, he had been appointed organist at the Marienkirche at Lubeck, one of the most important musical posts in northern Germany. His duties there primarily included composing and playing for the main morning and afternoon services. Buxtehude had at his disposal an everchanging set of paid instrumentalists and singers and wrote for all sorts of services appropriate to the church calendar as well as for weddings, funerals and the occasional commission. He published two collections of seven sonatas for violin and viola da gamba and continuo (Hamburg, 1694 and 1696) in which each of the two solo lines converses with, imitates, supports, and goads the other to new heights of expression. The Sonata in A Minor (BuxWV 272) performed here, however, is a separate work that did not appear in these two publications. This sonata is built over two distinct ostinato bass patterns at the beginning and end of the piece. These frame a slower, transitional organ-like section in F Major that utilizes double stops for the violin. Throughout, the viola da gamba alternates between bandying melodic lines with the violin and dropping down to cover the bass. In the long and storied history of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, his Sonata in G Major for violin and basso continuo (BWV 1021) is a relatively new arrival. Rediscovered in 1929 in a collection in Eisenach, it was performed the same year in Leipzig by Adolf Busch (violin) and Rudolf Serkin (piano). The violin sonata is based on an almost identical bass line to the Trio Sonata in G Major for violin, flute and continuo (BWV 1038). Scholars have dated the autograph copy with precision to the year 1732 and have determined that it was a family collaboration. The music was copied by Bach s second wife, Anna Magdalena, while the accompanying titles, key signatures, and figured bass indications were written by Bach himself. The title page reads Sonata per il violino e cembalo, although we have chosen here to employ a continuo team of organ, viola da gamba and plucked strings. The sequence of movements, alternating slow, fast, slow, fast, is a pattern favored by Bach in his chamber works. The expressive melodic writing of the two slow movements perfectly balances the lively energy of the Vivace and Presto movements. In many ways, Bach s Sonata in G Major represents the end of the line for the stylus fantasticus. Some might even argue against its inclusion on this CD. Bach, however, was clearly aware of the fantastic style and made use of it not only as a way of composing, but as Mattheson described, as a free and improvisatory way of performing. This is especially true in Bach s free and improvisatory preludia and toccatas for keyboard and organ, as well as in the solo sonatas and partitas for violin. The Sonata in G Major has echoes of these, especially in the slow movements. We would like to think that our approach to performing the piece, with the stretching of tempo here and there, taking time in key moments, emphasizing certain dissonant harmonies, the graceful cascading of passages and flowing of ornaments, has been enhanced by our familiarity with Bach s stylus fantasticus predecessors. Scott Pauley, Patricia Halverson, Andrew Fouts

5 About CHATHAM BAROQUE Hailed as One of Pittsburgh s greatest treasures by the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, Chatham Baroque continues to excite local, national, and international audiences with dazzling technique and lively interpretations of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music played on instruments of the period. Founded in 1990, Chatham Baroque continues to thrive with a full calendar of concerts, tours, musical collaborations, and CD releases. The trio of baroque violin, viola da gamba, theorbo and baroque guitar tours nationally and internationally. This is the ensemble s tenth commercial CD release, and the second release on its own in-house label. Chatham Baroque offers audiences the opportunity to hear baroque music that is accessible and thrillingly vivid, with a freshness akin to improvisational jazz. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette proclaims, Pound for pound, you aren t going to find a better ensemble than Chatham Baroque. Chatham Baroque is repeatedly listed among the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette s Top 50 Cultural Forces in Pittsburgh and Ten Best Classical Concerts. The trio s Pittsburgh concert series in recent seasons has been substantially broadened by exciting collaborations with Attack Theatre, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, Renaissance & Baroque, and the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society. The ensemble prides itself on its commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its ability to serve nationally and abroad as ambassadors for the city. In addition to local and touring concerts and recording, Chatham Baroque presents Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions for pre-schoolers and Music All Over the Place performances in various community venues. With the support of PNC Charitable Trust, Chatham Baroque brought its Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions to four Pittsburgh area early education centers, performing 36 concerts for children from underserved city neighborhoods. Chatham Baroque is the proud recipient of Early Music America s 2012 Laurette Goldberg Award for lifetime achievement in early music outreach programming, and is Ensemblein-Residence at WQED-FM and Calvary Episcopal Church. Chatham Baroque has toured throughout the United States as well as in South America and Mexico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada. In recent years the ensemble has appeared at several summer festivals, including the Piccolo Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC) and the Madison Early Music Festival, where they also have served on the teaching faculty. On the road, the ensemble consistently receives high praise. The Washington Post calls them musically impeccable ; the Chicago Tribune, a splendid period-instruments ensemble ; and the New York Times praises their colorful virtuosity.

6 Andrew Fouts (baroque violin) joined Chatham Baroque in In performance with the ensemble he has been noted for his mellifluous sound and sensitive style (Washington Post) and as an extraordinary violinist who exhibits phenomenal control (Bloomington Herald-Times), while the Lincoln Journal- Star wrote that his talent challenges the top soloists of today s classical stage. In 2008 Andrew won first prize at the American Bach Soloists International Baroque Violin Competition. In addition to Chatham Baroque, Andrew has performed recently with the Four Nations Ensemble, Apollo s Fire, Musica Pacifica, Philharmonia Baroque, and as soloist with American Bach Soloists. He serves as concertmaster of the Washington Bach Consort, about which the Washington Post has written... Fouts, the group s new concertmaster, was exemplary on the highest part, playing with clean intonation and radiant tone. Patricia Halverson (viola da gamba, violone) holds a doctoral degree in Early Music Performance Practice from Stanford University. After completing her graduate work, she studied in the Netherlands at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. A native of Duluth, Minnesota, Patricia is a founding member of Chatham Baroque and has been instrumental in raising the level of Baroque chamber music performance in the Pittsburgh area. Recent performances include concerts with Ensemble VIII of Austin, Texas, and the Washington Bach Consort and duo viola da gamba recitals in Pittsburgh with Martha McGaughey. In 2013 she appeared with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performing J.S. Bach s Brandenburgh Concerto No. 6. Patricia teaches viola da gamba privately in the Pittsburgh region and has served on the faculty of the Viola da Gamba Society of America s annual Conclave and the Madison Early Music Festival.

7 in Amsterdam. In North America Scott has performed with Tempesta di Mare, Musica Angelica, Opera Lafayette, The Folger Consort, The Four Nations Ensemble, The Toronto Consort, and Hesperus and as a soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He has performed in numerous Baroque opera productions as a continuo player, both in the USA and abroad. In recent years he has appeared with the English Concert and Opera Lafayette at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Library of Congress, and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Scott has served on the teaching faculty at the Madison Early Music Festival. Scott Pauley (theorbo, archlute) holds a doctoral degree in Early Music Performance Practice from Stanford University. Before settling in Pittsburgh in 1996 to join Chatham Baroque, he lived in London for five years, where he studied with Nigel North at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There he performed with various early music ensembles, including the Brandenburg Consort, The Sixteen, and Florilegium. He won prizes at the 1996 Early Music Festival Van Vlaanderen in Brugge and at the 1994 Van Wassenaer Competition

8 Adam Pearl (chamber organ) is in demand as a performer of both solo and ensemble music on historical keyboards. He has performed throughout the United States as well as in Europe, South America and Asia. He has been principal harpsichordist for Philadelphia s baroque orchestra, Tempest di Mare, since He also performs with ensembles such as Chatham Baroque, the Folger Consort, the Catacoustic Consort, the American Bach Soloists, the Bach Sinfonia, Modern Musick and various modern symphony orchestras. He has recorded on the Chandos, Dorian and Plectra labels. Adam has directed baroque opera productions with American Opera Theater and Peabody Chamber Opera. From the keyboard, he has led performances of Blow s Venus and Adonis, Purcell s Dido and Aeneas, Cavalli s La Calisto and La Didone, Charpentier s David et Jonathas, and Handel s Acis and Galatea, Giulio Cesare and fully staged productions of Messiah and Jephtha. Adam is a member of the Early Music faculty at the Peabody Conservatory, where he also studied. He has taught at various summer workshops, including the Amherst Early Music Festival, the Madison Early Music Festival, and the Rocky Ridge Music Festival. He is a laureate of the 2001 Jurow and 2004 Bruges international harpsichord competitions. Instruments used on this recording Violin, Anonymous, Paris, mid 18th-century Viola da Gamba, Karl Dennis, Rhode Island, 2003 Violone, John Pringle, North Carolina, 2010 Archlute, Klaus Jacobsen, London, 1996 Theorbo, Klaus Jacobsen, London, 1991 Chamber Organ, Bennett and Giuttari, 1999 Recorded at Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 7 11, 2012 Session Producers: Marc Giosi, Riccardo Schulz Session Engineer: Riccardo Schulz Recording Assistants: Eze Azu, Michael Ralph Editing and Mastering: Riccardo Schulz, Pittsburgh Digital Recording & Editing Company, with Chatham Baroque Executive Producers: Chatham Baroque Photos: Laila Archuleta, Wasin Prasertlap Illustrations: Athanasius Kircher, Musurgia Universalis (1650) Graphic Design: Little Kelpie Special thanks Ruey Brodine Morelli, Robert & Liane Norman, William Semins & Hattie Fletcher, and our 87 backers on Kickstarter, whose generous support made this project possible. Thanks also to the clergy, staff, and congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Chatham Baroque is Ensemble-in-Residence.

9 CB Chatham Baroque