Frescobaldi, Girolamo

Frescobaldi, Girolamo

Fiori musicali in partitura a quattro op.12 for string quartet or string orchestra (New edition, edited and engraved by Lucian Beschiu / Full Score)

29,00 

Preface

Girolamo Frescobaldi – Fiori Musicali Op. 12 in partitura a quattro

(b. Ferrara, 15 September 1583 — d. Rome, 1 March 1643)

(ed. 1635)

Edited in 2010 by Lucian Beschiu (b. 1986)

Messa della Domenica

1 Toccata avanti la Messa della Domenica (p. 1); 2a Kyrie della Domenica (p. 2) & 2b Kyrie della Domenica (p. 3);

3 Kyrie (p. 4); 4 Christe (p. 5); 5a Christe. Alio modo (p. 6) & 5b Christe. Alio modo (p. 7); 6 Christe. Alio modo (p. 8); 7 Christe. Alio modo (p. 9); 8 Kyrie (p. 10); 9 Kyrie. Alio modo (p. 11); 10 Kyrie. Alio modo (p. 12);

11 Kyrie ultimo (p. 13); 12 Kyrie. Alio modo (p. 14); 13 Kyrie. Alio modo (p. 15); 14 Canzon dopo la Pistola (p. 16); 15 Recercar – Dopo il Credo (p. 19) – Alio modo, si placet (p. 20); 16 Toccata Cromaticha. Per le Levatione (p. 22);

17 Canzon post il Comune (p. 25).

Messa degli Apostoli

18 Toccata avanti la Messa delli Apostoli (p. 29); 19 Kyrie delli Apostoli (p. 30); 20 Kyrie (p. 31); 21 Kyrie (p. 32);

22 Christe (p. 33); 23 Christe (p. 34); 24 Kyrie (p. 35); 25a Kyrie (p. 36) & 25b Kyrie (p. 37); 26 Kyrie (p. 38);

27 Canzon dopo l’Epistola (p. 39); 28 Toccata, avanti il Recercar (p. 42); 29a Recercar Cromaticho post il Credo (p. 43) & 29b Recercar Cromaticho post il Credo (p. 47); 30 Altro Recercar (p. 51); 31 Toccata per l’Elevatione (p. 55);

32a Recercar con obligo del Basso come apare (p. 58) & 32b Recercar con obligo del Basso come apare (p. 62);

33 Canzon quarti toni. Dopo il post Comune (p. 66).

Messa della Madonna

34 Toccata avanti la Messa della Madonna (p. 70); 35 Kyrie della Madonna (p. 71); 36 Kyrie (p. 72); 37 Christe (p. 73); 38 Christe (p. 74); 39 Kyrie (p. 75); 40 Kyrie (p. 76); 41 Canzon. Dopo la Pistola (p. 77);

42 Recercar dopo il Credo (p. 80); 43 Toccata avanti il Recercar (p. 83);

44 Recercar con obligo di Cantare la Quinta parte senza Tocarla (p. 84); 45 Toccata per le Levatione (p. 87).

46a Bergamasca – Chi questa Bergamasca sonarà, non pocho imparerà (p. 89) & 46b Bergamasca – Chi questa Bergamasca sonarà, non pocho imparerà (p. 96); 47a Capriccio sopra la Girolmeta (p. 103) &

47b Capriccio sopra la Girolmeta (p. 108)

 

Published by Vincenti of Venice in 1635 with a fulsome dedication to his cardinal Antonio Barberino (1607-71), Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Fiori musicali numbers among the “holy writs” of western music history. It stands alongside the supreme creations of Ockeghem, Josquin, Palestrina, Lassus, and Victoria, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Art of Fugue, the masterpieces of the mature Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Bruckner, and the major works of such masters as Debussy, Sibelius, Ravel, Foulds, Bartók, Berg, Shostakovich, Mennin, and Eliasson. In many respects Frescobaldi was not just an original genius but a trailblazing innovator: he explored the great diversity of the intervallic spectrum well before Bach, probed extremes of independence in contrapuntal part-writing under the increasing pressure of chromaticism, and freely exploited definitions and changes of tempo in the interest of proper expression. At that time there was a lively exchange of ideas and culture between various cultural centers and artists, as is shown by Frescobaldi’s journey to Brussels where he met the English composer Peter Philips (1560-1628), or Johann Jacob Froberger’s (1616-67) journey from South Germany to Rome specifically to study with Frescobaldi. Fiori musicali became legendary and spread its influence far beyond its composer’s immediate successors: Henry Purcell made a deep study of the collection, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote out the complete cycle in his own hand and enjoined his pupils to study it, Jan Dismas Zelenka prepared orchestral versions of several of its pieces, Johann Joseph Fux used examples from it in his counterpoint treatise Gradus ad parnassum (a work whose impact extended well into the nineteenth century), and Anton Reicha wrote one of his sometimes highly complex Thirty-six Fugues of 1803 on a subject from Fiori musicali.
Printed in 1635 in Venice, and dedicated to Cardinal Antonio Barberino, the Fiori Musicali were the only pieces in Frescobaldi’s collection of organ works to contain music for the church. They were also the last in his published œuvre to contain just new compositions. Contrary to earlier publications, these pieces are not arranged according to their formal principles, but follow instead the sequence of the mass, and comprise three cycles: the Sunday Mass, the Mass of the Apostles and the Mass of the Holy Virgin, plus two secular capriccios. These genres are all known in Frescobaldi’s earlier works, with the exception of those in a popular vein. Combining bold harmonies with transparent and glowing counterpoint, they contain some of the most revolutionary and formally accomplished compositions of their time. The notation of an organ work using four staves throughout became necessary due to the manifold voice crossings. But the more extended movements in particular are even better suited for balanced instrumental ensembles of different sizes. To cite just one example, Sergiu Celibidache often conducted the Altro Recercar and the Toccata Cromaticha as a two-movement work for string orchestra, creating a most impressive result and without the need for any interfering arrangements.

The collection divides each of the masses into six sections, which, though usually identical, reveal a few discrepancies. Each mass is preceded by a toccata as Section 1. Section 2 consists of several items from the Kyrie and Christe, with twelve versets in the first mass, eight in the second, and six in the third. Section 3 is a canzona to be played during the Gradual, while Section 4 is heard during the Offertory (a ricercar in the first mass, a toccata and two ricercars in the second, a ricercar, toccata, and another ricercar in the third). Section 5 is intended “per l’elevazione,” with a toccata in each case plus an additional ricercar in the second mass. Section 6, performed after the Communion, consists of a canzona in the first two masses, and instead of that followed by a bergamasca and a capriccio in the third mass to bring the cycle to its conclusion. In the final Recercar (No. 44 in Mass III) Frescobaldi instructs the organist to find the entrances of the fifth voice himself and to sing it aloud.

The Gregorian chants that serve as the basis of the three masses are reproduced at the end of this preface in traditional notation.

In the original 1635 print, Frescobaldi added a preface for learners:

To the Reader:

Having been always anxious (as far as God has granted me the talent) to help with all my strength the students of the musical profession, I have always manifested to the world through my printed editions in score and by all sorts of devices and inventions my earnest desire that each one in seeing and studying my works should not only be pleased but should derive practical benefit therefrom. My principal aim with the present book is to be of service to organists. I have written the pieces in such a way as to make them suitable for performance either at mass or at vespers. Organists may also use the versets as they please. If the canzoni and the ricercari are found to be too long, they may be concluded at the cadences or pauses.

I consider it a matter of great importance for organists to be able to read from score; not only those who wish to devote themselves seriously to a study of this type of composition. Such a practice distinguishes between educated and ignorant musicians.

Nothing else occurs to me to say except that every art can be mastered by experience. He who wishes to advance in his art should experiment and put these things to a practical test. His progress will make his realize the truth of what I say.

  1. When a trill or an expressive passage occurs in a toccata, it should be played more slowly. Series of eighth notes occurring together in the parts should be slightly hurried. Trills should be played more slowly and the whole tempo held back, although of course toccatas should, as a whole, be played according to the will of the performer.
  2. Even though the toccatas usually begin with eighth notes, they can be played somewhat slowly and gradually, the movement becoming quicker as one proceeds to other passages of different character.
  3. In the Kyrie, one can play sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly at the performer’s discretion.
  4. Although the versets are written for the Kyrie, many of them may also be used on other occasions if so desired.
  5. In the canti fermi, though written legato, the slurs may be omitted at the player’s convenience so as not to obstruct the hands. Every simplification known to me has been employed.

Girolamo Frescobaldi

Lucian Beschiu has transcribed all the pieces in Fiori musicali for violins, viola, and cello, altering the clefs of the original print to modern clefs and making no changes in the musical fabric. It goes without saying that a contrabass can be added an octave beneath the cellos for performances with string orchestra. Where the second voice goes beneath the lowest note on the violins in the original key, the copyist has created two versions: one retaining the original key but laid out for violin, two violas, and cello; and another transposed as close as possible for a normal string quartet format. The non-transposed version should, of course, be chosen whenever the entire work or one of the masses is played continuously in its original sequence.

 Translation: J. Bradford Robinson, June 2015

For performance material please contact Musikproduktion Höflich (www.musikmph.de), Munich.

 

Deutsches Vorwort > HERE

Score Data

Edition

Repertoire Explorer

Genre

Chamber Music

Pages

120

Size

210 x 297 mm

Performance materials

available

Printing

New print

Size

225 x 320 mm

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