Meister des Fruhbarock

*Three Contrasting Baroque Works* for C recorder and piano.

1. Paolo Quagliati, "Toccata" (1623)
2. Bartolomeo de Selma y Salaberde, "Canzona"
3. Bartolomeo Montalbano, "Sinfonia opus 1, No. 4"

The change of style c. 1600 brought with it a flowering of new instrumental forms. The sinfonias, sonatas, canzonas etc which were now being written were for the most part not associated with a specific solo instrument. The melodic flow was still largely dependent upon the use of so called neutral melodic patterns. Specific idiomatic instrumentation was only a gradual development. 

* Quagliati dedicated his collection, La sfera armoniosa (Rome, 1623) to Nicolo Ludovisi, the Pope's nephew, and the daughter of the great composer Gesualdo as a wedding gift. The toccata in this volume was conceived as an instrumental interlude between vocal pieces. In addition, the composer recommends that no free 'passagi' apart from the necessary cadential embellishments be introduced. 

* Selma was norn in Spain and lived in Innsbruck and Venice as a respected bassoon player. The sectional structure so typical of the style of that time is found to a great extent in his canzonas. The player should deliberately alterate between the improvisatory and the formally strict in performance. 

* Montalbano lived in Palermo and Bologna. In his sinfonias we encounter the fantastic virtuoso style which is a feature of many early baroque pieces. The realart of interpretation is concentrated on the playing of the upper part, while the bass has a merely supporting function. 

_ARSM Recorder Repertoire List ABRSM SYLLABUS_

_Associate (ATCL) Recorder Repertoire List Trinity College London SYLLABUS_

Score 15 pages. 1 part @ 6 pages.