Notes and Editorial Reviews
ROSA E ORTICHA: Music of the Trecento
•
Alexandre Danilevski, cond; Syntagma Ens
•
CARPE DIEM 16287 (60:00
Text and Translation)
Music by
FRANCIA, FLORENTIA, PADOVA, LANDINI, STEFANI, ANONYMOUS, FLORENTIA, FIRENZE
This album presents secular music mainly drawn from Southern Italy, composed during the last half of the 14th century: the Trecento, when Italian polyphony flourished, only to vanish soon after for reasons that
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musicologists still speculate upon. Much of their work took the forms of the madrigal, the
caccia
(canon in two upper parts, counterpoint in a third), and especially the less complex
ballata
. One of the best-organized musical manuscripts of the period, the
Squarcialupi Codex
(so named after an inscription on its first folio: “This book is owned by Antonio di Bartolomeo Squarcialupi, organist of Santa Maria del Fiore”) has more than 350 of these pieces preserved in excellent condition. Though the Syntagma Ensemble doesn’t list its sources, internal evidence suggests they made good use of the codex.
There are some monophonic selections, usually dances, included as well. A mix of polyphonic and monophonic material— Landini’s eloquent two-part
Somma felicità
, Gherardello de Firenze’s monophonic
Donna, l’altrui mirar
, etc—are offered in instrumental and part-instrumental versions whose arrangers aren’t identified. Presumably they are among the group’s musicians. There’s certainly nothing wrong with this, not at a time when both fixed content and textures were unknown. It’s to the credit of Syntagma that their instrumental choices are sensitively made, and the percussion, which is never written out, ends up being added discreetly.
The performances are excellent. Syntagma is a group of 14 musicians of whom nine are employed on this disc, led by Alexandre Danilevski. Two sopranos and a countertenor (so described; he sounds more like a tenor) provide the vocals, while the rest perform on medieval fiddle, lute, harp, recorder, carillon, checker, and percussion. All are technically expert, exhibiting none of the sloppy breathing and fingering that in a few circles continues to pass for authenticity. Ornamentation is scarce but appropriate, given the element of common improvisation known to have existed in contemporary Florentine culture.
I do take some exception to the engineering on this release, however. The album has that Early Music Church sound, with a very slow decay rate and a resultant boost to low frequencies. This makes some sense for Mass movements and motets, but none at all for secular material that never would have been performed in a sacred space. On a purely aesthetic level it inflates the singers’ voices, making them seem larger and darker than they are, and thickens some textures. I hasten to add that I’ve heard far worse examples of this practice, but I find the distortion moderately disturbing.
It’s not enough to negate my delight in these performances, though, or in the expressive lyricism of works like
Cosa Crudel
, and the brightly stepping
Con tutta gentilezza
, with its hints of Flemish influence. Strongly recommended.
FANFARE: Barry Brenesal
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Works on This Recording
1.
Donna s'amor by Egidius de Francia
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
2.
Cosa crudel m'ancide by Andreas Horganista de Florentina
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
3.
El no me giova by Bartolino da Padova
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
4.
Somma felicita by Francesco Landini
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
5.
Con tutta gentilezza by Giovanni Stefani
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
6.
I bei sembianti by Bartolino da Padova
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
8.
Nel mio bel orto by Anonymous
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
9.
Lauda by Anonymous
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
10.
La douce çere by Bartolino da Padova
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
Period: Medieval
Written: 14th Century; Italy
11.
Interlude by Anonymous
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
12.
Alba colomba by Bartolino da Padova
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
Period: Medieval
Written: Italy
13.
Passando in ombra by Anonymous
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
16.
Donna s'amor by Egidius de Francia
Conductor:
Alexandre Danilevski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Syntagma
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