The place of Domenico Scarlatti in the history of 18th century music is certainly exceptional. This exquisite and imaginative group of works is included in the fourteenth volume of Scarlatti’s manuscript sonatas preserved in the Marciana Library in Venice. Although known as keyboard sonatas, research reveals that they were very likely to have been conceived for performance on the violin – multi-movement works, often showing the presence of figured bass accompaniment, rapid changes of register and numerous passages better suited to a violin than a keyboard instrument all support the theory. This is flashy and virtuosic writing for violin at its finest.
Thomas Tallis was active across the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. He famously mastered all forms, old and new, as dictated by the changing religious landscape in 16th-century England. He died in 1585, very ancient and celebrated, and today is acknowledged widely as the Father of English Church Music. This is a recording that not only demonstrates his consummate skills in many genres, but also features new discoveries. Among these is the first recording of an early version of his grand six-part Gaude gloriosa dei mater, but with words by none other than Henry VIII’s last wife, Queen Katherine Parr. These works are excellently presented by Alamire and Fretwork- both experts in the early music field.
Suor Leonora d'Este (1515-1575), Lucrezia Borgia's daughter, was a princess, a nun, and a musician. She left little to illuminate her history, but an obscure book of motets may at least help us understand her musical life: the Musica quinque vocum motteta materna lingua vocata, published in Venice in 1543. The book is anonymous, but it contains clues to its origins that lead us to the door of Leonora d'Este's home, the convent of Corpus Domini in Ferrara, perhaps even suggesting that she was its unidentified composer. The music here is the earliest published polyphony for nuns. This recording by Musica Secreta and Celestial Sirens allows it to be heard for the first time through carefully researched performances.
Anne Boleyn is without doubt the most famous of Henry VIII's six wives. She was brought up for a time under the guardianship of Margaret of Austria, who was patron to some of the most famous composers in all of Europe, and then in the French court before her return to England in 1522. It was in France where the young Anne developed her keen musical tastes, and when a collection of her favorite works began to be assembled into what is now known as the Anne Boleyn Songbook (Royal College of Music, MS 1070). The book probably remained in her possession until her execution in 1536, when she was accused of adultery with no less than five men including her own brother, George, and luteplayer Mark Smeaton. Here Alamire explores the finest works in the Songbook by the greatest composers of the early 16th century, including Compère, Brumel, Mouton, and Josquin. Performances by Alamire are interspersed with French chansons and instrumental items for lute, harp and voice. The program concludes with a most haunting setting of 'O Deathe rock me asleep', not from the Songbook but possibly linked to Anne's fate while awaiting her execution in the Tower of London.
William Croft (1678–1727) was the finest English composer of his age, having followed in the footsteps of Henry Purcell and John Blow at Westminster Abbey. This recording highlights his full anthems and Burial Service published in his ambitious and successful Musica Sacra of 1724, which succinctly demonstrates his passion for the preservation of English church music in an age rapidly becoming dominated by the stage and grand oratorios. Croft was deeply inspired by Thomas Tallis and, at the height of his career, flourished in the shadow of Handel. The Sidney Sussex College Choir’s first recording with Obsidian, Thomas Tomkins ‘These Distracted Times’ with Fretwork and Alamire was awarded both Gramophone Editor’s Choice and their CD of the Month. Their most recent, music by Thomas Weelkes, was also nominated for a Gramophone Award in 2014. David Skinner is well known as a leading scholar and performer of early music, and director of the acclaimed vocal ensemble Alamire.
Antonio Vivaldi gave descriptive titles to seven of op. 8’s twelve concerti in its 1725 Amsterdam publishing, including the four concerti representing the seasons: la primavera, estate, autumno, l’inverno. + For the four seasons, Vivaldi included four self-penned sonnets, each divided thrice, reflecting each concerto’s three movements. + The 1725 publication indicated which musical passages are representative of which sonnet verses. + Heard on this CD are these rarely recorded sonnets, in the original Italian. + Different soloists for each of the seasons join the youthful musicians of EUBO.
