Affetti Napoletani. 18th Century Neapolitan Music
Estrovagante Ensemble/Riccardo Doni
rec. 2023, Palazzo Cigola Martinoni, Cigole, Italy
Reviewed as a download
Da Vinci Classics C00959 [65]
In the course of the 18th century, a large part of Europe came under the spell of the Neapolitan style. That was due to the many pupils in the conservatories, especially those who had studied the violin, who travelled north to find a position. The disc under review offers a survey of the contributions of Neapolitan composers to one of the most popular genres of chamber music: the trio sonata.
Trio sonatas were intended first and foremost for the growing market of amateurs who wanted to play music that was challenging but not too difficult. For composers, this was an interesting way to make money and present themselves to a wider audience, in particular as masters of counterpoint. This explains the large number of collections of trio sonatas published in cities like Amsterdam, Paris and London.
The earliest composer in the programme is Pietro Marchitelli, who was not of Neapolitan birth, but studied at the Conservatorio di S Maria di Loreto. In 1677, he was appointed principal violinist of the royal chapel and held this post until his death. In the course of his career, he reached a considerable social standard and equivalent wealth. He is considered the father of the Neapolitan violin school. About thirty pieces by him are known, and it is notable that a number of them are scored for three violins and basso continuo. The two sonatas performed here are in four movements. The Sonata IX has three fast movements, and opens with an allegro. The Sonata I opens with a movement in four contrasting sections: adagio – vivace – adagio – vivace. The second movement, a presto, has the addition canzone. This sonata is one of the most harmonically adventurous in the programme.
One of Marchitelli’s pupils was his nephew Michele Mascitti, who was born in the same place as Marchitelli: Villa Santa Maria in the Abruzzi region. He studied with his uncle, and began his career in the royal chapel. After travelling through Europe he settled in Paris, where he came under the patronage of the Duke of Orléans. The Duke was an ardent lover of Italian music and Mascitti was just one of the Italian musicians he took under his wing. This connection with the Duke allowed Mascitti to play at the court in Paris. He made such an impression that in 1714 he was granted a King’s privilege to print for 15 years “collections of sonatas and other musical pieces, vocal as well as instrumental”. This privilege was twice extended, in 1731 and 1740, and, as a sign of the appreciation of Mascitti, he was given French citizenship in 1739. Mascitti died in Paris, at a ripe old age, in 1760. He confined himself to instrumental music. His oeuvre is not very large: nine collections of sonatas for one or two violins and basso continuo were published between 1704 and 1738. Several of these were dedicated to members of the Crozat family, one of the richest and most powerful in France, which took him under their wing and granted him a pension during the last decades of his life. Whether he was a formal pupil of Corelli is not known, but he is clearly influenced by him. Mascitti’s sonatas are elegant and avoid extremes and eccentricities, which undoubtedly was one of the reasons they were appreciated in France.
Like Mascitti, Angelo Ragazzi received his education at the Conservatorio di S Maria di Loreto and worked for some time as a violinist in the royal chapel; during that time Naples came under Austrian rule. In 1708 he was in Barcelona, as he was appointed to the royal chapel of Charles, at that time King of Spain. When the latter became Emperor, most of the musicians in his chapel followed him to Vienna, including Ragazzi. There he worked until 1722, when he returned to Naples. In 1729 he succeeded Marchitelli as principal violinist in the chapel. He was in Vienna once again from 1736 to 1740, when he retired. The two trio sonatas included here, both first recordings, are dominated by counterpoint. The Sonata in D minor is in three instead of four movements.
Nicola Antonio Porpora was known as a composer of operas and a singing teacher. His instrumental oeuvre is rather small. His only trio sonatas are the six Sinfonie da camera which were published in London in 1736 as his opus 2. It is notable that the individual sonatas are called concerto. Given his credentials in the field of vocal music, it is no wonder that his instrumental works bear the traces of vocal music. The Sinfonia in G minor contains some contrasts of an operatic nature, especially in the two slow movements. In the last movement the violins largely play in parallel motion, with some episodes in which they are more independent.
Probably the most remarkable composer is Nicola Fiorenza. From 1743 to 1762, he taught the violin, cello and double bass at the conservatory of S. Maria del Loreto in Naples. In 1762 he was dismissed from his position, because he maltreated his students. He wasn’t only volatile, he even used violence. It was at the same conservatory that he had received his training as a musician under Giancarlo Cailò and Francesco Barbella, who belonged to the most famous violinists of their time. Otherwise very little is known about his early years as a musician. His extant oeuvre is not large, consisting of concertos for various combinations of instruments, and sinfonias. Like Porpora, he called the trio sonata performed here concerto. It is a highly individual piece that has little similarity with any of the trio sonatas on this disc. It confirms the impression I gained from previous recordings of his music.
As a survey of the Neapolitan part of the trio sonata repertoire this disc is a complete success. It is a compelling sequence of pieces of the same scoring, but still different. It is an impressive testimony of the quality of Neapolitan instrumental music, and makes one wanting more. The performances by the Estrovagante Ensemble could not be any better. They are expressive, energetic and differentiated in tempo and dynamics. In short, this is a splendid disc that anyone who loves baroque instrumental music will enjoy.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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Contents
Michele Mascitti (1664-1760)
Trio sonata in D, op. 1,7
Angelo Ragazzi (1680-1750)
Trio sonata in B minor
Pietro Marchitelli (1643-1729)
Sonata IX in G minor
Nicola Antonio Porpora (1686-1768)
Sinfonia da camera in G minor, op. 2,3
Angelo Ragazzi
Trio sonata in D minor
Michele Mascitti
Trio sonata in A minor, op. 1,8
Pietro Marchitelli
Sonata I in E minor
Nicola Fiorenza (c1700/10-1764)
Concerto in D minor
