The fame of Father Giambattista Martini is largely due to his activity as a historiographer, theoretician and teacher of music unceasingly carried out by him...

The fame of Father Giambattista Martini is largely due to his activity as a historiographer, theoretician and teacher of music unceasingly carried out by him at the Bolognese convent of S. Francesco: his monumental Storia della musica, the first history of music ever written in Italian and published in Italy, was hailed by the most distinguished personalities of that period, who unanimously praised his deep erudition. A great number of young composers and musicographers from all over Europe, wishing to learn the secrets of this art, stopped in Bologna to receive a training or perfect their knowledge under his guidance. A less celebrated activity by Martini was that as composer that he carried out continuously as maestro di cappella in the Basilica next to the Bolognese convent from 1725 to the time of his death. The pieces presented in this CD relate a little-known episode in Martini’s life, an episode that shows how highly he was appreciated also as a composer. Alessandro Quarta, leading the Concerto Romano and the vocal ensemble Ecclesia Nova, is the protagonist of this precious world premiere recording, a live production by Tactus of the concert held in Bologna at the Basilica of San Francesco the 21st of April 2023.