I L A M S
Iberian
& Latin American Music Society
From your Chairman
With apologies for the late delivery to you of the present newsletter,
but I hope the delay will be compensated by this “bumper” edition, with the
double articles on Portuguese music, one by my friend and colleague Nancy Lee
Harper the other by organist John Collins, both ILAMS members. New CD releases
and reviews can be found on our website.
In June we have our trip to Madrid where an exciting
programme is being prepared for us, details of which are included below. This
promises to be the experience of a lifetime and I hope many of you, and your
friends, will join us.
As you will see from our Diary, we can look forward to more concerts
and another Regent Hall Summer Festival - "The Oxford Street
Proms" – presented in association with the Beethoven Piano Society of
Europe and The Liszt Society. The concerts will include much of Alberto
Ginastera's music, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the
composer's untimely death. We are also delighted to present two Festival
“fringe” concerts, which will offer a fascinating overview of different facets
of Argentine music including the music of Ginastera’s most famous pupil, Astor
Piazzolla. For more information on these events please turn to the last page. Alberto Portugheis
Visit to Madrid 5 to 8 June
Don’t miss ILAMS’ visit to the exciting Spanish capital Madrid for a
wonderful programme of concerts and masterclasses including a masterclass on
Iberian and Latin American music given by Alberto Portugheis. You can join us
for a glass of cava on two of these occasions. The visit is timed to include
the first public performance of Albeniz’s masterpiece Merlin sung in
English. The colourful world of zarzuella will also be explored and during a
trip to historic Valladolid, enjoy a performance of choral music given by Coro
Cervantes, directed by Carlos Fernández Aransay. We shall also visit El
Escorial and the Queen Sofia Music School. There will also be time for
sight-seeing and enjoying the wonderful food and wine! All the arrangements
will be made for you, including flight, transfers, hotel (bread &
breakfast), entrances and theatre tickets, so all you have to do is come along
and enjoy! The all-in cost is £450, so do not delay and contact Clara Walton,
0207 537 4227, email: clarawalton@yahoo.com Editor
ILAMS visits the Wigmore Hall
ILAMS was happy to
co-present the Wigmore Hall recital on Sunday afternoon 23 February, given by
the talented flautist Glen Ballard in an attractive programme of music for
flute and piano. Partnered by pianist Alan Brown and narrator David Simeon,
Miss Ballard took an appreciative audience on a voyage of discovery through
some interesting and rarely played repertoire. She engaged the audience’s
attention not only with her stylish and sensitive readings, which rose to the
demands of the music, but also by her personable introductions to the pieces.
The programme opened with a
Galant-style sonata by C.P.E Bach, contrasted by virtuosic pieces by Caplet and
Taktakishvili, the latter being a Georgian composer of some note. Ferdinand
Ries is perhaps better known now as Beethoven’s copyist and secretary; his
Introduction and Polonaise was very well written, with a particularly demanding
piano part. Alan Ridout’s The Emperor and The Bird of Paradise, scored for
flute and narrator proved to be an entertaining concertpiece. The Hispanic
virtuosity of Salvador Brotons’ Flute Sonata was well rendered by both flautist
and pianist and brought the recital to an envigorating close. Salvador Brotons,
also well known for his achievements with the baton, is a composer of
distinction and one who deserves to be more widely heard. Glen Ballard will be
repeating the concert at St. Johns Smith Square at 7.30pm on 9 July. Ray
Picot
A brief overview of
Portuguese music from 1450-Present by Nancy Lee Harper
The history of Portugal's rise and fall of political and musical
supremacy is marked by good luck on the one hand and misfortune on the other.
Geographically isolated from the rest of Europe, Portugal, with neighbouring
Spain, at one time ruled the entire world due to a papal decree that divided
all territories between them. The enormous wealth that came to Portugal from
their colonies created the possibility under monarchs who were pre-disposed to
the arts to develop cultural patrimony. Portugal's height of artistic glory
flourished under the reign of King John
V (1707-1750). There was no other court in Europe to equal this one.
Short-lived, the decline of this bountiful state came with the deadly
earthquake on 1 November 1755 that shook the Portuguese capital and destroyed
many of Lisbon's art, artefacts, and architectural treasures, along with many
valuable manuscripts and libraries. As a result of this unfortunate tragedy,
the need to re-build took on modest proportions. Never again would Portugal
witness its historical supremacy. Little by little Portugal's valuable lands in
South America, Africa, India, and Asia were lost, leaving the Portuguese people
today with deep remorse and fewer natural resources.
Our story begins with Renaissance Portugal, which benefited greatly
from the extra-musical events known as the "Age of Discoveries".
Contact with the best schools of arts, humanities, and culture were made, with
Portugal continuing to be influenced by the Franco-Flemish tradition.
Portuguese musical trends often followed European norms later than other
countries, perhaps due to geographical considerations. Portuguese Renaissance
music was classified as "high" or "low". In the first
category music for out-of-doors festivities, such as of the ceremonial or
military types that used very sonorous instruments, was found. The second
category was reserved to describe music at the court, particularly dance music
as played on more refined and softer-sounding instruments.
The courts of Afonso V
(1432-81) and John II (1455-95) brought many foreign musicians to Portugal,
with strong representation coming from Italy and Spain. As might be expected,
rivalry between Portugal and Spain was not uncommon. "Leonor of Aragon,
the Spanish princess who married Dom Duarte in 1428, delighted the Portuguese
court with her singing and playing of the manicorde.
Excellent players were trained at Duarte's expense; one of them, Álvaro
Fernandes, so pleased John II of Castile that Duarte had to ask sharply for his
return." Most notable of the musicians at that time was Tristão de Silva, Afonso’s
chapelmaster, who came to Lisbon in the 1470’s and was considered important
enough to be cited by theorists until the 17th century.
Like other European courts, the Portuguese court had a predilection for
religious music rather than for secular music. The intimate connection between
the court and the Catholic Church brought some long-lasting results, such as
the creation of musical training centres, situated in the chapels connected to
the great Portuguese cathedrals. The formation of a centre that promoted
excellence in vocal polyphony performance thus necessitated the creation of a
school for the boys' choir where the gifted received a musical education.
Primary amongst all of these chapels were those found in the southern city of
Évora, where 13 such centres existed in the mid-fifteenth century and where the
training of Portuguese composers took place for almost 200 years. This primacy
was due to the court of John III, and others, being present there. John III's
decree in 1538 to ban secular content of the autos (a type of dramatic play of a religious or serious character,
often accompanied by incidental music) in ecclesiastical ceremonies was not
very effective and eventually the way was paved for the introduction of opera into Portugal during King John V's
reign.
Pedro do Porto, known in Spain as Pedro
de Escobar, was an important Portuguese composer serving as cantor from
1489-1499 in the Spanish court during Queen Isabel the Catholic’s reign. From
1507-1514, he served at the Seville Cathedral as the director of the boys’
choir, returning to Évora in 1521 and perhaps remaining there until 1535. His
works include more than twenty religious and eighteen secular works, including
a Magnificat.
Further north, at the University of Coimbra, the chair was given to the
Spanish musician Mateus de Aranda,
who published the first part-music of two- and four-parts in his Tratado de canto mesurable (Lisbon,
1535), as well as the first music book to be published in Portugal, the Tractado de cãtollano (1533). Other
early 16-century polyphonists active at Coimbra were Fernão Gomes Correia (Bishop’s cantor in 1515), Vasco Pires (Chapelmaster), and João de Noronha (d. 1506) of the Santa
Cruz Monastery. Portuguese part-music tended to be more lavish than its Spanish
counterpart, as the Spanish Hierónimo Román noted in his Republicas del mundo (Salamanca, 1595): “I will say in brief why
the Portuguese exceed us, and that is because the lavishness of their
instrumental music and singing during Divine Office gives them pride of place
in the Catholic Church.”
Portuguese polyphony flourished in the 17th century,
represented by the masses and Magnificat settings
of Manuel Cardoso (1566-1652) and Filipe de Magalhães (1570-1652). Parody
masses based on Palestrina and Francisco Guerrero were particularly common.
Mention should also be made of the religious polyphonic works of Pedro de Cristo (d. 1618) who was the
Chapelmaster in Coimbra and Lisbon. Other 17th century composers
include: Manuel Correa (d. 1653), Manuel de Tavares, Estevão de Brito, Gonçalo
Mendes Saldanha (whose works were known in Cartagena and Bogotá), and Manuel Mendés (known in Puebla, Mexico)
and others in Évora, Elvas, and Lisbon, such as António Marques Lésbio (1639-1709).
Between 1630 and 1650 organ playing during religious services, mostly
for the educated people, was authorised. Also significant is the publication in
1630 by the court organist Manuel
Rodriques Coelho of the first instrumental music collection not in
tablature. Frequently the instrumental parts
(organ, harpsichord, clavichord, or harp) of religious Renaissance music
resulted from transcribing polyphonic vocal parts Primary amongst organ
composers may be considered António
Carreira (d. 1599), who had a predilection for monothematic (“mannerist”) tentos or fantasias.
In the 17th century, King John IV, a composer and an admirer of
Palestrina, distinguished himself as one of the great patrons of the arts and
learning, spending lavishly on acquiring one of the best music libraries in all
of Europe. One such example shows his cultural dedication when he patronised
the Roman publication of João Lourenço Rabelo's (c.1616-1661) Psalmi pro Vesperi in 1657.
The beginning of a significant turning point in Portugal's political,
social, and cultural history came during the Baroque reign of King John V. The
discovery of gold in Brazil, the first indications of which were felt in Lisbon
in 1699, began a period of lavishness and prosperity in Portugal that lasted
until the end of the 18th century. Lest it not be forgotten, the origin of the
word Baroque probably derives from
the Portuguese (barrôco: "pearl of irregular shape")
to denote in a derogatory way an overabundance of ornaments. Political peace and economic affluence
characterised King John's monarchy. Reformation of royal institutions were
undertaken, such as the nomination of the Royal Chapel in Lisbon to that of
Patriarchal Cathedral in 1716 and the creation of a royal musical education
centre in 1713, known as the Patricarchal Seminary. Italian musical influence
became dominant. Portuguese musicians were sent to Italy to apprentice (António Teixeira at the age of 10 in
1717, and Francisco António de Almeida
in 1720, for example), while great Italian musicians, such as Domenico Scarlatti (Chapelmaster in
Portugal from 1719-1729) were brought to make their contributions to the
Portuguese court. Little known is the fact that Scarlatti was a virtuoso singer
and composer of cantatas. However, his duty as teacher to the King's gifted
daughter, Maria Bárbara (and her brother), led to one of the greatest legacies
of 18th century keyboard music - the composition of more than 560 sonatas. His
Portuguese keyboard contemporaries included two important composers, Carlos de Seixas (d. 1742, predisposed
to Empfindsamer Stil music) and Frei Jacinto.
The rapid substitution of the Spanish tradition by the Italian
tradition in Portugal witnessed several changes. The Spanish zarzuela (a type of allegorical opera)
would be traded in for Italian opera or Italian serenatas ( a type of semi-operatic production that was sung
without costumes or scenery). Italian music was in many ways as opposite to
Iberian music as it could be, favouring long recitatives to short coplas; frowning on imitation, of which
the Spanish and Portuguese were so fond; and generally preferring major-minor
modes to the Iberian predilection for the Church modes. Probably as a result,
John V banished the vilancico (small-scale
Spanish poetical musical verses) in court musical life.
With Italian opera now the norm in Portugal, Portuguese opera composers
writing in the Italian vein began to appear, such as: João de Sousa Carvalho (1745-1798); António Leal Moreira (1758-1819); and Marcos António da Fonseca Portugal (1762-1830), whose operas were
sung in 104 cities, from Russia to Brazil. Other Italian composers, such as Giovanni Giorgi and David Perez (1711-1779), were also in
the forefront in Lisbon. After an attack that left King John V paralised on one
side of his body in 1742, he forbade the production of comic or profane operas
in Lisbon theatres, such as that of the Teatro do Bairro Alto.
With the death of John V in 1750 and the devastation of the Lisbon
earthquake just five years later, Portugal's future would be drastically
changed. The reconstruction of Lisbon under the Marquis de Pombal's orientation focused on modest, if not
commercial, expressions of art. Gone was the Opera House, the Royal Chapel and
Patriarchal Seminary, the former secular and religious expressions of an
absolute power. In their place were less imposing structures, such as the
Teatro de Ajuda with seating capacity of approximately 150 people. A small
replica of the La Scala Opera House, the Teatro São Carlos, was inaugurated in
1793. The Royal Chamber Orchestra of 51 musicians, which now substituted the
Royal Chapel and of which there was no European rival, still consisted of
principally Italian instrumentalists (also Spanish and German). Instrumental
builders, such as the Haupt family
for winds or the Antunes family for
pianos, thrived for a time. The Portuguese guitar, similar to the English cittern, became the preferred
accompaniment to the popular fado. Modinhos from Brazil were sung while lundums of Afro-Brazilian origin were
danced. Figuring important amongst instrumental art music of this period was
the unique example of published harpsichord sonatas by Francisco Xavier Baptista (d. 1797). His
contemporaries include João de Sousa
Carvalho and Frei Manuel de Santo
Elias.
In the 19th century, German musical influence began to
supplant that of Italian. Many important Portuguese musicians went abroad to
study in Berlin, Köln, or other German cities.
England and France too became other important destinations for some
Portuguese musicians, such as João
Domingos Bomtempo (1775-1842), who performed and published abroad. He later
returned to his native soil and became the first director of the National
Conservatory of Music in Lisbon. Mention must also be made of the composer of
the Portuguese national anthem and several operas, Alfredo Keil (1850-1907). Pianist-composer José António Vianna da Motta (1868-1948) went, on the advice of
Liszt pupil, Sofie Mentor, to Berlin to study where he encountered the
intellectual and musical elite. Later studying with Liszt in Weimar, he
returned to Portugal because of the ensuing WWI, becoming Director of the
National Conservatory. Liszt's visit to Lisbon in 1845 caused something of a
stir, abundantly documented today. An important innovation in Portugal took
place with the creation of the Real
Academia dos Amadores de Música in Lisbon at the end of the 19th century,
which is still in existence today. It had a main objective to encourage the
taste for good music through teaching (via a Germanic education), concerts, and
conferences. A 62-member orchestra was created. One of the important composers
connected to this institution is Alexandre
Rey Colaço (1854-1928), from Morocco. In Porto, the creation of the Sociedade de Quartetos in 1874, the Sociedade de Música de Câmara in 1883,
the Quarteto Moreira de Sá in 1884
and the Orpheon Portuense in 1891
reflected the growing musical activity in the north of Portugal. Óscar da Silva (1870-1958), former
piano pupil of Clara Schumann, spent many of his productive years in Brazil as
a composer.
The Revolution of 1910 marked the beginning of a new democratic
Republic that, although never stable, lasted until 28 May 1926 when a military coup d'état led by Gomes da Costa
thereby ending the Revolution. In 1933 the New State was born, led by dictator Oliveira Salazar, similar, at first to
fascism in Italy and emphasising hierarchical allegiance to "God,
Fatherland and Family". Strict social behavioural codes were endorsed.
Gradually artistic standards came to be adopted, such as the development of a
"high" art for the upper classes, in which the art forms should
sybolise economic, political and intellectual supremacy of these classes. The
lower classes could be represented in a dignified manner through popular art forms
espousing nationalism and the simplistic rural people. One of the most
important composers in this respect is Fernando
Lopes-Graça (1906-1994), whose field work closely paralleled that of Bartók
and Kodály and whose prolific compositions reflect the respective influences of
Bartók. Falla, and Stravinsky.
According to him, "there was no Portuguese music because there was
no classical music tradition, no interest in popular music (almost unknown and
neglected by the authorities), no interest in the development of a national
musical life as it was understood in Germany, France, England..." Only in
the mid-20th century does Portuguese music really develop as a national idiom.
Yet many Portuguese composers benefited from sojourns abroad in France,
such as Armando José Fernandes
(1906-1983), Jorge Croner de Vasconcelos
(1910-1974), and Cláudio Carneyro
(1895-1963), or in Italy, such as Joly
Braga Santos (1924-1988). Portugal's first modern composer may be
considered to be Luís de Freitas Branco
(1890-1955) who well encapsulated the neo-classic European trends. With claim
to democratisation, the Portuguese Revolution of 25 April 1974 gradually broke
down barriers and opened doors for global communication, as reflected by
composers such as Filipe Pires (b.
1934), Emanuel Nunes (b. 1941), Cândido Lima (b. 1939), António Pinho Vargas, and Jorge
Peixinho (1940-1995) who have brought innovations that continue to have
ramifications in Portugal today.
Instrumentalists and pedagogues have enriched the musical fabric of
Portugal in the 20th century: Bernardo
Moreira de Sá (1853-1924), director of the Conservatório de Música do
Porto; violoncellist Gullihermina Suggia,
intimate of Pablo Casals; pianists such as Fernando
Laires (b. 1925 and now residing in upperstate New York) whose cycle of 32
Beethoven sonatas at the age of 19 made history as the second Portuguese to
perform the complete opus between Vianna da Motta in 1927 and Florinda Santos) or Helena Sá e Costa (b. 1913) renowned
for her Bach "48", Sequiera Costa, Maria João Pires, and Artur
Pizarro, who have brought international stature to their country. Mention
must also be made of musicologists M.
Santiago Kastner and João de Freitas
Branco (b. 1922).
The creation of the Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation in 1956 has immensely enhanced the cultural activity
of Portugal and its musicians in recent times thorough its financial support.
Important also is the creation of music associations (APEM, EPTA, etc.) and
music programs in the universities and superior schools that greatly stimulate
learning and musical development. In 1970 the founding of the Grupo de Música Contemporânea has had a
marked presence. The current generation of composers such as João Pedro Oliveira (b. 1961), Isabel Soveral (b. 1962), António Chagas Rosa (b. 1960) and Tomás Henriques (b. 1963) have already
made important contributions to their country in the fields of acoustic and
electronic music.
What Portuguese music in the 21st century will offer to the world
remains to be seen. However, if the young and gifted generation is any
indication, the future is indeed very bright.
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERE
Portuguese keyboard music
c1500-1750 by John Collins
Given the much smaller size of the Portugal in comparison with its
neighbour Spain, it is not surprising that there are singularly few Portuguese
composers whose work has survived, and then in only one printed and six
manuscript sources. Several projected collections are known to have been lost
(particularly in the earthquake of 1755 which reduced central Lisbon to rubble
and destroyed the royal library) or never completed/published.
From the sixteenth century, António Carreira c1525-97 is represented by some 18
pieces in Coimbra MS 242 (this total could be reduced if the ascription CA is
in fact an indication of de Cabezón, some of whose pieces appear in this
manuscript), but there could be several more pieces by Carreira if the
anonymous pieces between those assigned to him are also taken as his. His son
intended to publish a volume of his father’s pieces in 1599, but this project
does not seem to have been realised. There are three pieces by Heliadoro de
Paiva, and one by Macedo, with two others attributed to the latter by virtue of
style and place in the manuscript by the editor of the modern edition. From the
seventeenth century, after Coelho (see below) only Pedro de Araújo c1640-c1704
is represented by a quantity reaching double figures, although several pieces
bearing hallmarks of his style are anonymous in the two sources. This
contemporary of Cabanilles is known to have been active in the North of
Portugal in Braga, and has left pieces in various genres including the batalha and phantasias which open with free-form passages, and the meio registos and obras/tentos which are contrapuntal in conception. His work
features many instances of the 3+3+2 and 3+2+3 rhythms popular in North Eastern
Spain, but not the modulatory passages developed by Aguilera which became a
hallmark of the Aragonese school.
Otherwise only Diogo de Conceição is represented by more than one piece,
his three works occurring in Porto MS 1607. Composers represented by a single
work are José Leite da Costa, António Correia Braga, Agostinho da Cruz, Fr
Carlos de São José, Fr João de Christo, and Luis Coutinho. Braga MS 964 contains several pieces by Spanish
and Italian composers as well as manuscript versions of pieces from Coelho’s Flores da Musica.
Porto MS 1577 contains
pieces by composers who are almost certainly Spanish.
Printed
editions in Portugal.
The work by Gonçalo Baena Uma obra e Arte
para Tanger printed in Lisbon c.1540 is the earliest surviving book of
keyboard music from the Peninsular. It contains instructions on how to read the
alphabet notation, and how to play, the musical contents comprising
intabulations. The author was Spanish, from Seville, but was employed at the
Portuguese court from c.1500 with his brothers.
The only surviving printed source of Portuguese music prior to c.1760
is the Flores de Musica by Manuel Rodrigues
Coelho (c1555-1635) published in Lisbon in 1620. It contains 24 tentos, three each on the eight modes,
four settings of Susana, and a large
collections of versos, some of which
have independent vocal parts. The figuration includes written-out inequality
(dotted quaver followed by semiquaver), and quaver triplets (which appear
either as equal, or as dotted). A favourite figure is also the triplet rhythm
of crotchet followed by quaver, e.g. no. 6, bars 86-145; a comparison with the Tento on the 8th Tone as
preserved in Braga MS 964 reveals that the writer of the manuscript has changed
the rhythm into the 3+3+2 more commonly found in Spain. The modulatory figures
introduced by Peraza and Aguilera which became so popular with the North
Eastern Spanish composers are conspicuously absent from these pieces, the
figuration being much closer to Anglo-Dutch writing. It is worth noting that
none of Coelho’s pieces are for the “meio registo”, although the division of
stops between treble and bass was almost certainly available in Portugal at
this time.
Manuscripts
dating from the sixteenth century conserved in Portugal.
Two
manuscripts notated in organ score are conserved in the Biblioteca General of
Coimbra University, having originated in the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Braga:
MS 48, dated from 1559, contains 93 pieces on 128 folios, mainly motets and chansons from the Franco-Flemish school. Kastner has pointed out that the only
piece by a native Portuguese composer is incomplete – three bars only being
preserved – and the composer Dom Gabriel has not been traced. Far more
important is the title Tento de meyo
registo which, if contemporary with the manuscript, would be the first
mention in the Peninsular of the term Meio
Registo / Medio Registro, but Kastner was not able to ascertain whether the
piece had been added to the manuscript at a
much later date.
MS 242 also contains a large quantity of vocal pieces intended for glossing
(ornamenting) among its 230 items on 184 folios. There is disagreement amongst
scholars as to whether these pieces were conceived originally for ensemble
performance of as examples of keyboard music. Nevertheless, there is no reason
for them not to be played on organ, harpsichord or clavichord. There are pieces
not only by the native composers Heliodoro de Paiva (3), António Carreira
(18) and António Macedo, but also by the Spaniards António de Cabezón,
(several pieces from Henestrosa’s Libro
have been identified, but none from the Obras
de música), Juan Bermudo (4), and Antonio Gomez de Yepes (1 Canción). A ricercare by Julio
Segni from his Libro Primo of 1540 is
included, possibly reworked for keyboard by Macedo. Many pieces pose particular problems of attribution, with only
the initials A.C (1), or CA (14) being
given. The ascription Do Cego may
well refer to de Cabezón, and in many instances it has proved impossible to
identify some of the anonymous works with certainty. The length of Carreira’s
works varies between 50 and 277 bars, but the longest is surpassed by the Obra a Quatro em Sol by António de
Macedo at 387 bars. The Tento a quarto em
Re attributed by Kastner to Macedo finishes with a section of 20 bars in
triple metre, which is extremely rare in sixteenth-century Portuguese
instrumental music.
Biblioteca
Municipal Porto
MS 1576, known as “Tenção de João de
Costa de Lisboa” contains c.100 pieces, seemingly intended more as a
composition manual according to the editor of the modern edition that includes
a small selection; named composers include Gaspar dos Reis and Mateo Romero.
The term Tenção is here used in all
probability to mean a theme for a
musical work.
MS 1577, although held
at Porto, contains works by composers who were known or presumed to be Spanish in
origin. Dated by Kastner at c.1700, it is written in Spanish number tablature,
one of the few examples known outside Spain. Apart from nearly 200 versos, 160 of which are by Fr
Bertolomeu de Olague, there are 75 Fabordones
by Martín García de Olague, 14 pieces entitled canção, and various dances. There are 17 obras and 28 registos,
the latter being divided into 16 for Alto,
6 for Dois Tiples, and 6 for Baixo. Fr Joseph Torelhas is represented
by 10 pieces (although some of these contain exceprts from pieces by other
composers) and Fr Bertolomeu de Olague by 12. There
are also works by Juan del Vado, (4 obras
de ambas as mãos) Antonio de Brocarte (2 Obras, 1 Registo alto and
1 Registo de dois tiples), Miguel de
Sopuerta (1 Registo alto, 1 obra), Juan Correa (2 obras), Lucas Puxol (1 obra) and Sebastián Durón (2 partidos). None of these
works is at present known from other sources.
In addition to 27 versos by
Andrés de Sola (1634-96), the manuscript contains three further works by him –
two Registo Altos on the 1st
Tone, one of which is also found in pp.136-8 of the Martín y Coll collection MS
1357 where it is entitled Tocata Ytaliana.
The other work is an Obra de ambas as
mãos on the 4th Tone, which is based on a Tiento de Falsas by
Aguilera preserved in El Escorial and also in MS 1360 fols 53-55v in
the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid.
MS 1607 is entitled Livro de obras de
Orgão juntas pella coriosidade do P Fr Roque da Conceição Anno de 1695
(‘Book of organ works collected through the curiosity of Fr Roque da Conceição
1695’). The manuscript contains 67 pieces, of which 31 are also preserved in
Braga MS 964. There are 30 sets of versos
of which 24 are also included in MS 964. Those unique to MS 1607 comprise a set
of twelve by Fr Diogo de Conceição and five anonymous sets. The 37 large-scale
works are 3 meio registos for 2 Tiples, 1 for 1 Tiple, 1 Tercado, 4 batalhas, 13 Obras (one on the Batalha
Famoza), 10 Tentos, 3 Phantasias, 1 Susana and 1 Adagio. Only
9 pieces are ascribed, but 6 more can be identified from MS 964. The manuscript
is the unique source for all the known works by António Correia Braga (1 Batalha), Fr Diogo de Conceição (1 Batalha, 1 Meio Registo and 1 set of versos),
José Leite da Costa (1 Obra), Fr
Carlos de São José (1 Obra), and for
one Tento by Pedro de Araújo as well
as an Obra sobre a Salve which has
been attributed to him by Kastner. Other pieces by de Araújo include 1 Batalha and an Obra. Several anonymous pieces in this manuscript also feature in
Braga MS 964 attributed to Pedro de Araújo. A tento by D. Agostinho da Cruz is included in this manuscript; a
verso by him, discovered by Manuel Joaquim, has been published by Kastner in Silva Iberica. An anonymous obra de oitavo tom is ascribed in MS 964
to Fr João de Christo. The Obra de 8 Tom
(no. 53) is based on the hexachord figure, the only example of which I am aware
from a Portuguese source.
Three of the four Batalhas are
ascribed, the Batalha Famoza (which
is not the similarly entitled piece in Martín y Coll MS 1358) being almost
duplicated by a piece called Obra de 6
Tom sobre Batalha. Apart from the example by António Correa Braga which
commences with a written-out redobre
and arpeggios, there is a short imitative introduction which leads into writing
bordering on the virtuosic, with passages and motifs being passed between the
hands like echos, and arpeggiated figures over long held octaves in the bass.
Triple-time sections consist of repeated chords, in the Batalha Famoza the three upper parts forming suspensions over the
bass. There are cross-rhythms in Correa Braga’s triple-time
section. At only 193 bars,
his is the most inventive and least trivial.
Braga
Biblioteca Pública
MS 964 contains c.210 pieces on 259 folios, the largest amount of
Portuguese organ music in one source, although there is considerable
duplication with Porto MS 1607, about 35 pieces in all. There are about 23
large-scale works which are anonymous. On fols 147-161 are several pieces que se cantarem ao orgão ou arpa (‘to be
sung to organ or harp’), and on fols 216-230 and 253-259 about 50 Italian
pieces including the Partite sopra La
Aria della Folia by Bernardo Pasquini.
Five pieces by Spanish composers also feature in the manuscript. On fols
162-208, 41 pieces from Coelho’s Flores
da Musica have been copied, including differing versions of some Tentos; also included are 11 pieces
assigned to Pedro de Araújo, seven of which are also in Porto MS 1607. The
other named composer unique to this source, Luis Coutinho, has left the Obra de 1 Tom, which is in two clearly
marked parts.
Manuscripts of composers dating from
the c1700-50 conserved in Portugal.
The most important Portuguese keyboard composer of the eighteenth
century in terms of both quantity and quality of preserved works is Carlos
Seixas (1704-42); unlike the keyboard works of Scarlatti, none of the 105
sonatas published by Kastner were printed in his short lifetime. The great
majority of the pieces are in binary form, and several sonatas are followed by
minuets or gigas; some are specifically
headed “para órgão”. A few are multi-movement in form.
A manuscript of the former Seminário Patriarcal of Santarém, which is
now conserved at the Archives of the Sé in Lisbon, contains 6 Fugas para Orgam, two of which, however,
are incomplete. Kastner dates the manuscript at c.1750-60 and infers that the
first two are both the work of José da Madre de Deus, despite only the first
bearing his name. The four pieces are not fugues in the Northern sense, but are
typical of the loose structure of the Iberian fugue.
Exploring Portuguese music
As you can see from these articles, Portuguese music has more to offer
than just Fado. A good place to look for interesting events is through the website of the Portuguese Arts Trust
(www.portembassy.gla.ac.uk/info/port600.html). The Anglo-Portuguese Society
also promotes performances and can be contacted on 0207 245 9738. Music
recordings of the major labels have tended to focus on choral music from the
“Age of Discoveries”, and there is a wealth of recordings to explore on labels
like Gimmell, Herald, Hyperion and Naxos. Amongst the recordings of more recent
music, Marco Polo has served Braga Santos well with Álvaro Cassuto’s excellent
cycle of the symphonies, now nearing completion. Da Motta’s music is
represented by a couple of excellent recordings on Hyperion and Marco Polo, but
to delve deeper you need to turn to the few genuine Portuguese labels, some of
which are reviewed below.
Portugalsom has been releasing a rich variety of music for some
20 years, and with a new distributor in the UK, have repositioned their label
at mid-price. Although there are some 50 discs to choose from, the repertoire
covered mainly focuses on the more well known names like Bomtempo, Freitas
Branco, da Motta, Lopes-Graça and Braga Santos. The recording quality is
acceptable and many discs are analogue, digitally remastered. The orchestral
works usually feature Hungarian performers, but there are some memorable
releases particularly among the instrumental performers.
Movieplay has a limited and eclectic classical catalogue of
some 24 releases all about 10 years old. Recitals are by national artists and
the recording quality is good. Look out for Baroque choral releases, several
orchestral compilations spanning the centuries and interesting organ recital by
Joaquim Simões da Hora. Translations are not always included. Collecting these
can be a challenge but try www.euroclube.pt
Portugaler is a new and exciting label, specialising in early music.
I have heard their 3 releases so far and they are outstanding. The discs are
stylishly presented in a cardboard gatefold and full translations are included
of historically well-informed notes. There is a small projected series of music
by Carlos Seixas, and the first release features harpsichord sonatas and a
concerto superbly interpreted by José Luis González Uriol. The remaining 2 CD’s
are organ recitals: one covers most of the known and attributed works of
Carreira played by Joào Vaz and Simões da Hora’s last recital which features
interpretations truly recorded on the wing. There is no UK distributor at
present, but you can buy direct (just mention ILAMS) by e-mailing portugaler@audiopro.pt or by telephone 21 712
16 90 or fax 21 712 16 99.
EMI Classics (Portugal) released an outstanding series of recordings,
to coincide with Lisbon1994, of music by Lopes-Graça covering a good
cross-section of his oeuvre. There are other releases but this label’s recordings
do not form part of the international catalogue so try the web.
Musicalia is a specialist label featuring music for solo voice
and instruments also small chamber and vocal ensembles. The 9 releases are
highly individual and very well recorded. The recitals are imaginatively
compiled and span music written over the last 500 years, and are available
direct from www.musicalia.co.uk Ray
Picot
Dates
for your diary
16 May 1.05pm St.James’s,
Piccadilly. An exciting concert of contemporary music from Spain and
Venezuala given by Iñigo Alonso, the clarinetist from Trio Bernaola partnered
by the pianist Philip Howard.
.
20 May 7.30pm Purcell Room. The LACCS present Fabio Zanon,
guitar in a programme which includes the World Premiere of the complete Studies
for Guitar by Mignone and works by Miranda, Nobre, de Faria & Porte-Alegre.
5-8 June ILAMS’ Trip to Madrid (3 nights). See front page for details.
9 June 7.30pm Bolivar Hall. Mark Troop and La Mariposa
present their famous Tango Show “Apiazzollada”. This is an exciting show of
music, song and movement, featuring the music of Astor Piazzolla, and much much
more!
20 June 1.05pm St.James’s,Piccadilly. Our second Festival
“fringe”concert features Katia Novell-Leruth, violin and Luis Parés, piano in a
progamme which includes music by Ginastera and Beethoven.
4-9 August The Regent Hall Summer Festival 2003 A week-long programme of lunchtime and evening concerts including
the music of Beethoven and Liszt and celebrating Hispanic music. This year we
also include the music of Alberto Ginastera. Full details of the events, the
featured composers and performing artists will be announced in the near future.
The artists that we are able to announce include Victoria Aja, Pola Baytelman,
Nicholas Bootiman, Albert Brussee, Grace Chen, Sagi Hartov, Marie-Noelle
Kendall, Malcolm Miller, Pavel Podsamoylov, Alberto Portugheis, Kiril
Rubarski,Milica Sperovic-Rubarski, Julian Saxl, Vesna Tasevska, Jaume Torrent & Ivana Vidovic. Editor