Philarmonica
Le Consort
rec. 2023 at the Christuskirche, Paris, France
Reviewed as a stereo 16/44 download with PDF booklet from Outhere
Alpha Classics 1011 [72]

The Restoration of the monarchy in England in 1660 was not only a political turning point, but also resulted in a stylistic ‘modernisation’ of the music scene. Charles II, returning from exile in France, wished to copy the splendour of Louis XIV’s court, and founded the 24 violins. They were to play the kind of repertoire which was common at the continent, instead of the traditional English consort music. Whereas in the first years after the Restoration, the new music was mainly French in style, the arrival of Nicola Matteis acquainted English audiences with the modern trends in Italian music. This was quickly adopted across the country, paving the way for the Corellimania which gripped England around 1700.

On its latest disc, the French ensemble Le Consort has put together a programme of music written in England in the decades around 1700. Nicola Matteis is one of the key figures. He was born in or near Naples; nothing is known for sure about his musical education, but it seems possible that he received some of it in Rome. Around 1674 he arrived in London, where his playing caused quite a sensation. English music lovers had never heard anything like it before. The violin was known and played in England, for instance by one of its leading composers, John Jenkins. However, until then it was mostly used as a consort instrument, as an alternative to the treble viol. In his later years, Jenkins composed trio sonatas with two violin parts, but their technical requirements were not comparable in any way to what Matteis was bringing to the table. One feature of his playing was double stopping, a technique which was not employed by English composers. This may explain why Matteis in the third and fourth volumes of his Ayres for the Violin marked the double stops and a few flourishes in hollow dotted notation, indicating that they could be left out by less advanced players.

Matteis did not find it easy to become acquainted with the English musical culture, but in the course of time he made concessions, in a way, to the tastes of English music lovers. Originally his compositions were for solo violin, but in later editions he added a second or even a third part, in response to the tradition of consort playing. He also offered the opportunity of playing his music on the recorder, which was one of the most revered instruments in 17th-century England, especially among amateurs. Le Consort have selected some suites and separate pieces which give a good idea of Matteis’ output and his style. The Diverse bizzarrie sopra la vecchia sarabanda o pur ciaccona is a piece based on a basso ostinato – a bass pattern which is repeated a number of times, over which the treble instruments play increasingly virtuosic parts of their own.

Such pieces were written all over Europe, and it was one of the devices that was also widespread in England. Matteis’ contemporary Henry Purcell frequently wrote pieces on a ground, as such bass patterns were called. The Sonata in G minor is one of the many such works in his oeuvre. This is an example of a piece which attests to the strong Italian influence on his instrumental music. In the preface to the set of three-part sonatas of 1683, he mentioned several Italian masters as his sources of inspiration. He does not mention Matteis, but Simon Jones, in his liner-notes, states that “London’s musical world was surely too intimate for Purcell to have been unaware of his work, and the meteoric rise in popularity of the violin would have offered many creative possibilities to the young Purcell.”

Le Consort is not the first to devote a disc to English music of this period. Apart from recordings of the music by Purcell, in recent years quite a number of discs have included pieces by Matteis and some lesser-known masters from the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The present disc is unique in that it includes four works by a certain Mrs. Philarmonica, about whom nothing seems to be known. She has no entry in New Grove, and the booklet does not provide us with any information about her. We can only guess who she may have been. One thing is for sure: she must have had an intimate knowledge of Italian music, and especially the sonatas by Corelli. That is no surprise, as after the publication of the latter’s works in England, especially the Sonatas Op 5, England had fallen prey to real Corellimania. His works were frequently played, published in all sorts of arrangements, and imitated. The present disc includes four sonatas from two different collections. This is the first time her music makes an appearance on disc, and I find that hard to understand. These four sonatas are excellently written and very fine and compelling examples of the influence of the Italian style in England. If I had not known that they were from the pen of an English composer, I would have thought that they were written by an Italian. Just listen to the vivace from the Sonata III, which at the end suddenly turns to a slow tempo, in preparation for the ensuing lento. The sonatas include several movements where the treatment of harmony is very redolent of the Italian style.

This disc as a whole is great to listen to, thanks to the good selection of pieces and the brilliant, engaging style of playing. The use of a virginal in the basso continuo seems a bit anachronistic. However, given the general level of playing, it is hardly an issue. Matteis’ music is played in a creative manner, and the performance with two and three violins is something one will not find on other recordings. However, this disc’s importance comes especially from the four sonatas by Mrs Philarmonica. One would like to know who she was; maybe some musicologist or music historian will be able to shed some light on this matter. I hope that more of her output is going to be recorded and Le Consort deserves praise for bringing her to our attention.

Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen

Help us financially by purchasing from

Contents
Nicola Matteis (c1649-1699)
Suite in G minor: Andamento malinconico
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Sonata in G minor (Z 807)
Mrs Philarmonica (fl 1715)
Sonata III in G minor
Nicola Matteis
Suite in C minor
Henry Purcell
Trumpet Tune
Mrs Philarmonica
Sonata VI in G
Nicola Matteis
Diverse bizzarrie sopra la vecchia sarabanda o pur ciaccona
Mrs Philarmonica
Sonata V in C minor
Henry Purcell
The Queen’s Dolour (Z 670) (attr)
Nicola Matteis
Suite in A minor
Mrs Philarmonica
Sonata IV in B minor
Nicola Matteis
Suite in G minor
Henry Purcell
The Prophetess, or The History of Dioclesian (Z 627):
Two in one upon a ground
Nicola Matteis
Maniera italiana