Especially during the second quarter of the 18th century the music
of the Neapolitan school disseminated across Italy and beyond
the Alps. The style is of a mostly galant character and often
negatively associated with easiness and superficiality. There
is more to it, though, as the sacred music of some Neapolitan
composers shows.
Francesco Durante is a rather exceptional figure in the Neapolitan
music scene. Opera had a central place, but Durante never composed
one. However, he did write some 'sacred dramas',
as they were called; only one of these has been preserved. Some
arias in the sacred pieces on these two discs have a quite operatic
character. Even so, Durante was especially admired for his command
of counterpoint. It is telling that he was a student of the Roman
composer Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni. Pitoni wrote mostly in the
stile
antico, although he incorporated elements of the
concertato
style in his compositions. Jean-Jacques Rousseau considered Durante
"the greatest harmonist of Italy, that is of the world".
He was a highly respected figure in Naples and occupied important
positions at various conservatories during the course of his life.
These discs present Christmas music, as their titles indicate.
That is not quite correct, though. Both discs include a setting
of the
Litanie della Beate Maria Virgine and these are
not specifically related to Christmastide. The addition ‘
in
Pastorale’ to the
Gloria in A indicates that it
was written for that time of the year, but the
Gloria in F
has the addition "in time of trouble" which suggests
another, probably specific, occasion. Strictly speaking even the
Magnificat is not connected to Christmas, even though
it is often sung at that time. The
Magnificat in c minor
is taken from a manuscript entitled
Vespro breve which
suggests a general use in Vesper liturgies rather than specifically
at Christmas. It is largely written in the
stile antico.
In the
Magnificat in B flat Durante includes old-fashioned
and modern elements. There are several episodes in the
stile
antico, but 'Suscepit Israel' is in the galant
idiom. This is one of Durante's most famous works and was
frequently performed until the late 19th century. It was originally
scored for five voices, but in this case we hear a later arrangement
for four voices with organ accompaniment.
One of the features of the real Christmas music on these two discs
is the siciliano rhythm and the use of the 12/8 metre. These display
themselves in the opening chorus of the motet
Ad presepe venite
which opens the first disc: "Come to the cradle, shepherds".
The chorus is followed by a recitative and aria for soprano; the
latter has an operatic flavour. The motet closes with a recitative
and duet for alto and tenor. The same features are present in
the motet
Cito pastores with which the second disc begins.
It has the same subject: "Quickly, shepherds, come singing".
It is a motet for two solo voices, four-part chorus, strings and
bc. It also has the same structure: chorus, recitative and aria
for soprano, recitative and duet, the latter two here for soprano
and alto. The chorus takes da capo form.
All the music on these two discs is performed with one voice per
part. I am not sure whether that is always in line with the performance
practice in Durante's time. It is appropriate, though,
in
Laudate pueri, a setting of Psalm 113. The four voices
regularly sing in pairs: soprano/alto and tenor/bass. This psalm
is again part of the Vesper liturgy and not specifically connected
to Christmas. That is also the case with the two settings of the
Litanie. These are not intended for a special time of
the year, but are often sung or recited in May. Durante composed
six settings, all for four voices, with the exception of the setting
in e minor, which is for soprano and alto, with two violins
and bc. The setting
in f minor dates from 1750; the opening
phrase reminded me of Pergolesi's
Stabat mater.
The two Glorias are in fact
missae breves: each begins
with a rather short Kyrie, which is followed by an extended Gloria.
Because of the weight of the latter - not only in Durante's
oeuvre but in that of Neapolitan composers at the time in general
- such masses are called
Gloria. The tutti sections of
the
Gloria in A bear the traits of pastoral music, in
particular 'Qui tollis' and the closing 'Cum
sancto spiritu'. 'Gratias agimus tibi' and
'Quoniam tu solus sanctus' are arias for soprano
and bass respectively, and again have an operatic quality; both
include a cadenza. The instrumental scoring is restricted to strings
and bc. The
Gloria in F which dates from 1749 is a much
more exuberant setting in which the strings are joined by two
oboes, two horns and two trumpets. The latter only play in the
opening section of the Gloria. Durante makes use of echo effects
in various sections, for instance in 'Quoniam tu solus
sanctus' where the horns echo the statements of the oboes.
This piece includes several arias of an operatic character, especially
the 'Gratias agimus tibi' for soprano, which includes
a cadenza.
These are definitely interesting discs which shed light on a composer
whose
Concerti per quartetto made quite an impression
when they were recorded by
Concerto
Köln. The performances are generally good, although I rate
the second disc a little higher than the first. I find the performances
of the first disc a shade too restrained, and dynamically too
flat. It is regrettable that in both recordings the upper voices
use a bit too much vibrato which slightly damages the ensemble.
The operatic solo parts are sung rather well. There is not that
much difference in this respect between Roberta Mameli and Monica
Piccinini.
According to the track-list all the pieces on these discs were
"arranged" by Michael Alexander Willens, Nicola Heine
or Luna Oda. Unfortunately the liner-notes omit to tell us what
exactly "arrangement" means.
Considering the fact that so little of Durante's vocal
oeuvre has been recorded these discs are most welcome. In particular
those who like to hear something less conventional during Christmastide
should investigate these discs.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Roberta Mameli (soprano), Ursula Eittinger (mezzo), Andreas Post
(tenor), Stephan MacLeod (bass)
