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Brilliant Classics

The 20th Century Viola da Gamba

Exotic Nostalgic Virtuosic Dramatic
$14.99

Details

Composer
Christian Dobereiner, Riccardo Giavina, Giacomo Nones, Giuseppe Selmi, Alexander Tcherepnin
Artist
Matteo Malagoli, Cristina Centi, Stefano Rattini, Trento Vocal Ensemble, Laurence K. J. Feininger
Format
CD
Label
Brilliant Classics
Released
Jan 16, 2026
Catalog #
BRI97568
UPC
5063758975681

About

The viola da gamba is not dead, despite a claim to the contrary in the Dictionary of Musicians by German composer, organist and cellist Ernst Ludwig Gerber (1746-1819). From the 16th century to the end of the 18th, the viola da gamba experienced a true apotheosis, becoming the favoured instrument for bourgeois entertainment, particularly in Germany, France, Italy and England, even if the instrument's origins lie in the Spanish Renaissance. Because of these associations with the aristocracy, but also because of advances in musical style that demanded more from the role of the lower member of the string family, the gamba lost ground to the newer cello during the French Revolution. Limited interest in the instrument persisted through the 19th century, until a rebirth occurred thanks to German cellists Christian Dobereiner (1874-1961) and Paul Grummer (1879-1965), and later the Austrian Karl Maria Schwamberger (1905-1967) and Swiss cellist August Wenzinger (1905-1996), a pupil of Grummer's and a founder, in 1925, of one of Germany's first early music ensembles. Wenzinger was appointed cello and viola da gamba teacher at Basle's new Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where Giacomo Nones (1929-2017) and Jordi Savall (b.1941) would become his pupils. Dobereiner was one of the most important pioneers at the dawn of modern research into historical performance practice, considered to have revived both the viola da gamba and the baryton from obscurity. From his Sarabande, in Handelian style, only the solo part has survived, and the basso continuo has been reconstructed by Matteo Malagoli. Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977) was an important Russian pianist and composer. He invented his own harmonic language, combining major and minor hexachords in a pentatonic scale that blended old Russian patterns and Georgian (Caucasian) harmonies. During a stay in France he became friends with Paul Grummer and in 1969 published a lovely Sonata da chiesa for viola da gamba and organ dedicated to Grummer and his daughter Sylvia. Giuseppe Selmi (1912-1987) was a gifted concert cellist, performing both with orchestra and piano. As a composer, he wrote several works for solo cello, with piano and with harp (he played in a duo with his wife Maria Dongellini). Following the gift of a viola da gamba (built by Paolo Leonori in 1952) from his wife in the 1970s, he became a passionate advocate for the instrument, writing works for it with harp or solo. Giacomo Nones (1929-2017) dedicated himself from a young age to classical music and the popular music from his native Trentino, studying violin, organ and viola da gamba, as well as musicology and organology. He has edited transcriptions and publications of Renaissance and Baroque music and has collaborated with various early music ensembles. Passionate about contemporary music, in particular 'computer music', he wrote his 10 small Algorithms for two viols with the use of a computer according to theories by the Russian mathematician Rudolf Zaripov. His only other viola da gamba works are the very different Partitas on the Lutheran chorale Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan for gamba and organ, and the Fantasia for solo viol on the Kyrie of the Gregorian 'Orbis factor' Mass. Riccardo Giavina (1937-2019) was a Piedmontese pianist and composer, later a teacher and headmaster at the 'Bonporti' Conservatory of Trento and Riva del Garda. A friend of Giacomo Nones, in April 1977 he dedicated his three short pieces for three viols (soprano, tenor and bass) to the other composer. Written in late Renaissance style, they are aimed at extending the original literature for viola da gamba into the 20th century. - Recorded April 2022 in Silvelle; July, August & December 2023 in Ponte nelle Alpi; and January 2024 in Trento (Italy) - Booklet in English contains liner notes and a profile of each of the composers - Matteo Malagoli plays a viola da gamba by Marco Salerno (Rome - Barcelona, 2004) - Cristina Centa plays a Salvi harp - Stefano Rattini plays a harpsichord by Fabrizio Acanfora (Naples, 1997) and at the Carlo Vegezzi-Bossi organ (1907; restored Mascioni, 2000) of the Trento Philharmonic Society

Tracklist 15 tracks

  1. 1 Capriccio in the Style of Marin Marais 01:35
    Track
    1
    Title
    Capriccio in the Style of Marin Marais
    Duration
    01:35
    Composer
    Christian Döbereiner
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli
  2. 2 Sarabanda in A Major 02:55
    Track
    2
    Title
    Sarabanda in A Major
    Duration
    02:55
    Composer
    Christian Döbereiner
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli, Stefano Rattini
  3. 3 Menuett in D Major 05:40
    Track
    3
    Title
    Menuett in D Major
    Duration
    05:40
    Composer
    Christian Döbereiner
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli, Stefano Rattini
  4. 4 Bourrée in D Major 04:29
    Track
    4
    Title
    Bourrée in D Major
    Duration
    04:29
    Composer
    Christian Döbereiner
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli, Stefano Rattini
  5. 5 Sonata da chiesa, Op. 101 10:07
    Track
    5
    Title
    Sonata da chiesa, Op. 101
    Duration
    10:07
    Composer
    Alexander Tcherepnin
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli, Stefano Rattini
  6. 6 I. Rhapsodic Impression 05:24
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Rhapsodic Impression
    Duration
    05:24
    Composer
    Giuseppe Selmi
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli
  7. 7 II. Short Toccata 02:20
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Short Toccata
    Duration
    02:20
    Composer
    Giuseppe Selmi
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli
  8. 8 Allegro vivace all'ungherese 04:02
    Track
    8
    Title
    Allegro vivace all'ungherese
    Duration
    04:02
    Composer
    Giuseppe Selmi
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli, Cristina Centa
  9. 9 Tirolese 01:49
    Track
    9
    Title
    Tirolese
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    Giuseppe Selmi
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli, Cristina Centa
  10. 10 Marcetta cinese 01:24
    Track
    10
    Title
    Marcetta cinese
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Giuseppe Selmi
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli, Cristina Centa
  11. 11 Orbis Factor: Kyrie 01:47
    Track
    11
    Title
    Orbis Factor: Kyrie
    Duration
    01:47
    Composer
    Anonymous
    Ensemble
    Trento Vocal Ensemble
  12. 12 Fantasy on Orbis Factor: Kyrie 03:54
    Track
    12
    Title
    Fantasy on Orbis Factor: Kyrie
    Duration
    03:54
    Composer
    Giacomo Nones
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli
  13. 13 Partite diverse 05:36
    Track
    13
    Title
    Partite diverse
    Duration
    05:36
    Composer
    Giacomo Nones
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli, Stefano Rattini
  14. 14 Algoritmi 12:20
    Track
    14
    Title
    Algoritmi
    Duration
    12:20
    Composer
    Giacomo Nones
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli
  15. 15 Prelude, Fantasy and Postlude 02:21
    Track
    15
    Title
    Prelude, Fantasy and Postlude
    Duration
    02:21
    Composer
    Riccardo Giavina
    Performer
    Matteo Malagoli