Welcome to Harmonia… I’m Angela Mariani. On this hour’s program we journey to Baroque France, Germany, and Italy for a program of pieces that remember those who came before us. Our featured release is Calling the Muse: Old and New Pieces for Theorbo, a 2018 recording featuring theorbo player Bruno Helstroffer. Join us!
MUSIC TRACK
Calling the Muse
Bruno Helstroffer
Alpha 2018 / B07G12B4VT
Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger
Tr. 9 Libro IV d’Intavolatura di Chitarrone: Bergamasca (4:28)
Music by Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger. We heard the Bergamasca from Book 4 of “d’Intavolatura di Chitarrone.” Bruno Helstroffer played the large lute called the “theorbo” on the Alpha label’s 2018 release, Calling the Muse. We’ll hear more from that recording, our featured release, later on in the program.
[Segment A]
We’ve all had teachers who challenged and motivated us. When we lose these mentors, we mourn their passing. Luckily, many musicians are forever in our memory due to recordings, compositions, and paintings. Composers, especially in Baroque-era France, wrote tombeaux--literally “tombstones”--to remember departed teachers and colleagues, as well as royalty and members of the aristocracy. In the first part of our show this hour, we’ll focus on music written by composers that honor musicians who inspired them.
Viola da gamba virtuoso and composer Marin Marais wrote one such piece for his mentor, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe [muh-SEEUR de SCENT-cur-lomb]. We’ll hear the Gavotte from Sainte-Columbe’s Concerto No. 9 for Two Equal Bass Viols, followed by Marais’ “Tombeau pour Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe” --music from teacher and student.
MUSIC TRACK
Le Masque de Fer [The Iron Mask]
Ensemble La Ninfea
Raumklang 2014 / B00OMFS7J0
Marin Marais (tr. 6); Jean de Sainte-Colombe (tr. 3)
Tr. 3 Concerto No. 9 for 2 equal bass viols, “La suppliant” – II. Gavotte, “La coureuse”: Preste (1:31)
Tr. 6 Tombeau pour Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (6:38)
“Tombeau pour Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe” by Marin Marais. Before that, we heard the Gavotte from Concerto No. 9 for Two Equal Bass Viols by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe. Ensemble La Ninfea performed those works on their 2018 Raumklang release, La Masque de Fer.
Perhaps the most well-known Tombeau of the twentieth century is Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin. Written for piano and later orchestrated, Ravel’s piece recalls the intricacy of Couperin’s music while maintaining the lyricism and playfulness associated with Ravel. But Ravel was following after Couperin’s example—François Couperin wrote several pieces in memory of his musical forbearers. Here are four short movements from Couperin’s “La Parnasse, ou L’Apothéose de Corelli.” The narrator announces the title of the piece: Parnassus or the exaltation of Corelli / Grand sonata and trio / Parnassus begs the muses to receive him among them.”
MUSIC TRACK
François Couperin: Ariane consolée par Bacchus, Apothéoses de Lully & de Corelli
Les Talens Lyriques
Aparte 2016 / B01KUQPSI2
François Couperin
Tr. 23 La Parnasse, ou L’Apothéose de Corelli: I. Corelli at the foot of Mount Parnassus asks the Muses to welcome him amongst them. (2:05)
Tr. 27 La Parnasse, ou L’Apothéose de Corelli: V. After his exultation, Corelli now falls asleep; his followers attend with some very quiet music. (2:52)
Movements from “La Parnasse, ou L’Apothéose de Corelli.” Music by François Couperin—Les Talents Lyriques directed by Christophe Rousset on that 2016 Aparte release, François Couperin: Ariane console per Bacchus, Apothéoses de Lully et de Corelli.
Couperin’s Corelli Apotheosis is about as Italian as a French chef who was sent to the kitchen to cook some Italian penne and marinara, but came back with tarragon and cream. For comparison, here is music by Corelli. The alternation of flashy dueling violins outdoing each other as the music escalates, and the still seriousness with plaintive ornaments strikes the ear as singularly Italian. We’ll hear the opening movement of Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in F Major, Op. 6, No. 2, performed by the Avison Ensemble.
MUSIC TRACK
Arcangelo Corelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6
Avison Ensemble
Linn Records 2012 / B07CPMYR7B
Arcangelo Corelli
Disc 1, Tr. 5 Concerto Grosso in F Major, Op. 6, No. 2: I. Vivace – Allegro – Adagio – Vivace – Allegro – Largo and Andante (3:55)
The first movement from Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in F Major, performed by Avison Ensemble directed by Pavlo Beznosiuk. That was from a 2012 Linn Records release, Arcangelo Corelli: Concerti Grossi, op. 6.
Couperin also wrote a piece in memory of a composer he may not have been so acquainted with—either musically or personally. Charles Fleury, Sieur de Blancrocher was a Parisian lutenist who suffered a sudden, accidental death. He reportedly fell down a flight of stairs, and died in the arms of keyboard composer Johann Jakob Froberger. We’ll hear a keyboard piece by Couperin, “Tombeau de Mr. Blancrocher” performed by harpsichordist Tilman Skowroneck.
MUSIC TRACK
Tilman Skowroneck: Works for Harpsichord
Tilman Skowroneck
TYXart 2018 / B07D2XCJ22
Louis Couperin
Tr. 15 Tombeau de Mr. Blancrocher (7:10)
“Tombeau de Mr. Blancrocher” by François Louis Couperin. We heard harpsichordist Tilman Skowroneck performing on the 2018 CD Tilman Skowroneck: Works for Harpsichord. Coming up next, tombeaux for royalty and our featured release, Calling the Muse: Old and New Pieces for Theorbo, a 2018 recording featuring Bruno Helstroffer.
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Harmonia is a program of early music that comes to you from the studios of WFIU at Indiana University. Partial support for Harmonia comes from PENN-CO incorporated of Bedford, Indiana. Partial support also comes from Early Music America, fostering the performance, scholarship, and community of early music…on the web at EarlyMusicAmerica-DOT-org. I’m Angela Mariani.
Mid break music bed:
Le Masque de Fer [The Iron Mask]
Ensemble La Ninfea
Raumklang 2014 / B00OMFS7J0
Monsieur Toinon
Excerpt of Tr. 10 Trio Plaisirs Sujet – IV. Modere (1:10)
[Segment B]
Welcome back. In this hour, we’re exploring music [that] composers wrote as tributes to their mentors, colleagues, and the aristocracy. Although the tombeau genre was most popular in France, composers in England also wrote music to memorialize the deceased, especially royalty.
Queen Mary had been de-facto ruler of Great Britain while her husband William III was off to war. After five years of rule, Mary died of smallpox at the age of 32. Her funeral was elaborate and included music by John Paisible, Thomas Tollett, and Henry Purcell. Although the pieces we’re about to hear are from the British Isles, they have a decidedly French flavor—oboe bands were fashionable at Versailles, and naturally traveled across the channel. Here are two versions of “The Queen’s Farewell,” one by Paisible followed by one by Tollett.
MUSIC TRACK
English Royal Funeral Music
Vox Luminis
Ricercar 2013 / B00AWVSEB4
John Paisible and Thomas Tollett
Tr. 2 The Queen’s Farewell – The Queen’s Farewell (4:32)
“The Queen’s Farewell,” versions by John Paisible and Thomas Tollett, music composed for the funeral of Queen Mary in 1694. Lionel Meunier directed Vox Luminis in that 2013 release from Ricercar.
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote music in memory of his recently deceased employer—Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen. Listeners may be familiar with this music, which was later used in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. We’ll hear the Aria “Mit Freuden sey die Welt verlassen” (“With joy, let us leave the world”). Those of you familiar with Bach’s St. Matthew Passion will recognize this musical material as the aria “Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben.”
MUSIC TRACK
Köthener Trauermusik Other Choral Music
Pygmalion
Harmonia Mundi 2014 / B017IWQEAM
Johann Sebastian Bach
Tr. 12 Köthener Trauermusik – Part II: Aria: Mit Freuden sey die Welt verlassen (Soprano) (4:40)
The Aria “Mit Freuden sey die Welt,” from Köthen Funeral Music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Soloist Sabine Devieilhe performed with ensemble Pygmalion.
It’s never too early to thank the people who have influenced you! On our featured release, Calling the Muse, theorbo player Bruno Helstroffer pays tribute to the people, places, and music that have influenced his artistry. Helstroffer connects his recording of “Toccata Nona” by Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger with an island in the south of Corfu, called Perivoli. He dedicates the piece to lutenist Claire AnTOni and contrabass player Renaud Garcia-Fons. Kapsberger’s “Toccata Nona…”
MUSIC TRACK
Calling the Muse
Bruno Helstroffer
Alpha 2018 / B07G12B4VT
Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger
Tr. 4 Toccata Nona (2:21)
“Toccata Nona” by Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger, performed by Bruno Helstroffer from our featured release Calling the Muse.
We’ll end with music by the late Bolognese Renaissance composer Alessandro Piccinini. One of Piccinini’s best known works is his first of two volumes of lute music published in Bologna—Intavolatura di Liuto et di Chittarrone. In the preface, Piccinini claims to have invented the archlute, an instrument with a range a bit larger than the lute but smaller than a theorbo. We’ll hear Piccinini’s “Partite sopra quest’aria francese detta l’Alemana” – which roughly translates as “A partite based on this French air called “The German,” for lute performed by Bruno Helstroffer.
MUSIC TRACK
Calling the Muse
Bruno Helstroffer
Alpha 2018 / B07G12B4VT
Alessandro Piccinini
Tr. 1. Intavolatura di Liuto, et di Chitarrone, Book 1 (excerpts) – Partite sopra quest’aria francese detta l’Alemana (5:08)
“Partite sopra quest’ aria francese detta l’Alemana” performed by Bruno Helstroffer. That was music by Alessandro Piccinini here on Harmonia.
More music, stories, history, recordings, and other information about the world of early music can be found on our Harmonia Early Music Podcasts, online at harmonia early music dot org and through iTunes. You’re listening to Harmonia.
Fade in theme as usual
Harmonia is a production of WFIU, and part of the educational mission of Indiana University. Additional resources come from the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
We welcome your thoughts about any part of this program, or about early music in general. You can leave a comment or question any time by visiting harmonia early music dot org and clicking on "Contact."
The writer for this edition of Harmonia was Sarah Huebsch Schilling, and the show is dedicated to the memory of her teacher, Washington McClain.
Thanks to our studio engineer Michael Paskash and our staff – Wendy Gillespie and LuAnn Johnson. Additional technical support comes from KTTZ at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
Our producer is Elizabeth Clark, our executive producer is John Bailey, and I’m Angela Mariani, inviting you to join us again for the next edition of Harmonia.
