Francesc Valls (1671-1747)
con afecto
BachWerkVokal/Gordon Safari
rec. 2024, Stiftskirche Laufen, Germany
Texts included with German translations
Reviewed as a download
MDG 923 2368-6 [70]

In the course of history, several composers caused controversy, leading to debate among their peers. One was Francesc Valls, who is known mainly for his Missa Scala Aretina. “The polemics to which the mass gave rise centred on the second soprano’s entry on an unprepared 9th at ‘miserere nobis’ in the Gloria. Gregorio Portero, maestro de capilla at Granada Cathedral, fired the first salvo in 1715; he was joined the following year by Joaquín Martínez de la Roca, the organist at Palencia, who argued that ‘music consists of established principles and general rules; when these are broken the very essence of music is destroyed’. Valls defended himself ‘not so much for my own reputation as for the freedom and honour of the art of music’” (Craig H. Russell in New Grove). “What had started as a debate among professionals was gradually heating up to reach boiling point in the spring of 1717, when many of the masters of the peninsula took sides”, according to Álvaro Torrente in the liner-notes to the recording of this mass by La Grande Chapelle (Lauda, 2014). One of Valls’ most prominent advocates was Alessandro Scarlatti.

The debate was not only about music, but also had a political aspect. A significant part of Valls’ career took place in the years of the War of the Spanish Succession, the result of Charles II, the last Habsburg king of Spain, dying without an heir in 1700. Attempts to solve the problem by dividing the empire among the candidates for the throne failed. Charles II designated Philip, Duke of Anjou, the second-eldest grandson of King Louis XIV of France (representing the house of Bourbon), as his successor, but a coalition of other countries, fearing French dominance of the continent, supported Emperor Leopold I’s claim to the whole Spanish inheritance for his second son, Archduke Charles. The strong anti-French feelings in Catalonia led to support for Charles and the Allied cause. In 1705 Barcelona was taken by the Allied forces and Charles settled here until the city was conquered by the Bourbon party in 1714. As in the previous years, Valls had cooperated with Charles in musical matters he fell out of grace and was removed from his post in 1719. Gregorio Portero who initiated the debate about Valls’ Missa Scala Aretina was known for his strong Bourbon profile. “[If] we analyse its context in detail (…) and the biography of the key protagonists, Valls’ detractors mostly held a clearly pro-Bourbon affiliation, while among his defenders were many musicians from the regions supporting the Hapsburgs. It is thus patently clear that the argument over aesthetics was merely one of the dimensions of the controversy but perhaps not the most relevant one.” (Torrente)

Even so, Valls was certainly a composer who treated harmony with much creativity. The disc which is the subject of this review attests to that. Most of the pieces in the programme are taken from his treatise Mapa armónico, which he put together between the late 1720s and 1735. It consists of four chapters. The first is about the technique of counterpoint, the second is devoted to the theory of modes and the structure of composition. The third chapter is musically the most interesting as it includes a number of pieces in various genres and styles in Latin and Spanish, for up to twelve voices, in different instrumental scorings. It also deals with diatonic, chromatic and enharmonic writing.

The pieces presented here demonstrate the variety just pointed out. Some pieces are very short. Dies magna is just nine bars long and takes 00:49, Erravi sicut ovis 00:42. At the other end of the scale is Lauda Sion salvatorem, which lasts 07:32.

The most surprising, sometimes even astonishing, feature of the programme is its highly unusual use of harmony. The most extraordinary piece is instrumental: the Composicion Enharmonica para Instrumentos de Arco consists entirely of quartertones. If one did not know the composer, one might think that it was written in the 20th century. Chromaticism takes an important place in a number of pieces, such as Domine vim patior, O vos omnes and Tibi soli peccavi, to mention just a few. In most cases, it is not just a matter of experimenting with harmony, but being inspired by the text. O vos omnes is one of the Tenebrae responsories, Domine vim patior is a setting of a text from the prophet Isaiah: “My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid! But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.” Tibi soli peccavi is a verse from the Miserere, the penitential Psalm 50 (51). Another work where Valls uses harmonic means to depict the text is Fulcite me floribus, taken from the Song of Songs, which is dominated by suspensions.

As mentioned, the scoring is very different. The number of parts varies from three to twelve. Obviously, the large scorings are mostly used for sacred works in Latin, such as Laudate Dominum for eight voices and In te Domine speravi for ten voices. In the latter work the voices are accompanied by oboes, clarinos, trumpets and violins. Here we also hear timpani; whether this is indicated in the score is not mentioned. Very unusual is Yo que el aplauso, which is a recitative and aria for eight voices, with violins, oboes and clarinos. Ay de la pena is scored for three choirs, as mentioned above, but the structure of the piece is unusual: it opens with a duet for soprano and tenor, which are then joined by a quintet, constituting choir I, and the piece closes with a section for choir II and III, to a strongly contrasting tempo.

It is one of the few pieces with extended solo parts. Another one is Lauda Sion salvatorem, in which solo voices sing most of the stanzas. An example of an opera aria is Mas, ay de mi. Salid del Averno may also be inspired by opera: “Come out of Hell, ministers of Wrath, for terrible fury conspires against death.” This may have been the reason that a wind machine was used.

Apart from the Missa Scala Aretina very little of Valls’ music is known. I strongly recommend the above-mentioned recording of La Grande Chapelle, which offers an excellent performance of the mass, but also other pieces by Valls, including some performed here. The present disc is a highly interesting and surprising addition to the discography of Valls’ oeuvre. It is an impressive demonstration of his qualities as a composer, but also of his independence in the way he sets texts and uses harmony for expressive reasons (as is indicated by this disc’s title, “con afecto”). That is perfectly realized here by the Ensemble BachWerkVokal, whose previous discs I have very much enjoyed. The singing of the entire ensemble is of the highest order, and thanks to the precise intonation, the many harmonic peculiarities come off perfectly. A number of singers from the ensemble can be heard individually, and all of them have fine voices, and give an excellent account of themselves. They are not specified, except Konstantin Igl, who sings Mas ay de mi beautifully. I should not forget to mention the instrumental ensemble, which is outstanding, and especially the players of the clarinos and the trumpets.

Whatever may have been the motifs of Valls’ critics, it is easy to understand that his treatment of harmony caused quite some controversy. That is graphically illustrated here. At the same time this disc shows that he was an excellent composer, and one can only hope that more of his oeuvre is going to be performed and recorded.

Johan van Veen

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Contents:
In te Domine speravi
O vos omnes
Domine vim patior
Crucem tuam
Dies magna
Ecce enim
Tibi soli peccavi
Salid del Averno
Entre golfos de dulzuras
¿Qué es lo que me niega Amor?
Mas, ay de mi
Composicion Enharmonica para Instrumentos de Arco
Yo que el aplauso
Ay de la pena
Fulcite me floribus
Lauda Sion salvatorem
Elevacion o Ascencion, Gradación y Descenso
Peccantem me quotidie
Dulce lignum
Erravi sicut ovis
Laudate Dominum
Plorans ploravit
Et unam sanctam catholicam
Benedictus
Composicion chromática
Victimae paschali laudes