Vivi felice, suonator cortese: 18th Century Italian Sonatas from Gaspari Music Collection, Bologna

Description

We owe it all to Padre Martini. Few figures in the musical world were as influential as this erudite Franciscan Friar who lived in Bologna in the eighteenth century. He was a gifted composer, an enormously learned man, a curious intellectual who was eager to discover hidden gems wherever they could be found, an excellent pedagogue, and a passionate collector. On countless occasions, today’s musicologists and musicians find themselves looking to Padre Martini’s heritage for help, and – after so many decades – help is usually found.
Martini was in correspondence with many of the greatest musicians of his time, and, whilst he hardly left his convent, few novelties in the musical world ever escaped his attention. He traveled with his mind and knowledge, and updates about new (and older) personalities, genres, styles and vogues always reached him.
At his death, an immense heritage of handwritten and printed music, of correspondence, but also of iconography (including at least 200 items of visual arts) was entrusted to the care of Martini’s former disciple and student Stanislao Mattei, who took care of its preservation.
At Mattei’s death, the collection constituted the original kernel of the Library of the new Liceo Musicale of Bologna, and the task of managing it was assigned to Gaetano Gaspari, who served as the Librarian of the Liceo from 1855 to 1881. Under Gaspari’s care, the Library was divided into three sections, which are still adopted: in the first of them are found theoretical and literary works, in the second are stored musical scores for musical practice, and in the third are opera librettos. Gaspari meticulously and painstakingly catalogued this immense patrimony, and his handwritten cards are a musicological treasure in their own right: the Librarian did not limit himself to list some elements about the bibliographical items, but frequently added his own comments which are of invaluable worth.
Today, what had been Martini’s Library, and later the Library of the Liceo Musicale, increased through continuous additions in the centuries, has become the Library of the “Museo Internazionale e biblioteca della musica” in Bologna, a true Mecca for music lovers and musicologists.
Even though this resource is extremely well-known by musicians and musicologists alike, much remains to be studied and discovered within it. This Da Vinci Classics album is one example of the wealth of “new old” music which can be found by exploring this patrimony.
This CD was born almost by chance. The Accademia degli Invaghiti had been invited to perform an all-Vivaldi concert in Bologna (in fact, the Library has several important Vivaldi sources along with a famous portrait of the Venetian composer). Then came COVID, which prevented the original project from taking place. When the possibility arose of resuming it, the Accademia opted for a revised design, based on composers from Bologna or who had ties with the city, and whose works could be found in the Fondo Gaspari (the original kernel of the Biblioteca della Musica). The repertoire recorded here includes works by two of the greatest masters of the Italian baroque (Alessandro Scarlatti and Arcangelo Corelli), along with lesser-known composers, some of whom would actually deserve a much greater recognition, as their magnificent music fully demonstrates.
The album’s title is curious and deserves a few words of explanation. It is taken from the Address to the Reader found in the published part (first violin) of the Trattenimenti armonici da camera composed by Giacomo Cattaneo di Lodi and dedicated to Marquis Alessandro Botta Adorno. The Address is worth citing in full:
“COURTEOUS PLAYER, I would not like that, in seeing these notes of music by myself, you would frown on them so soon, and accuse me of being ambitious or daring. My study was not done out of love for glory, but as an entertainment for the intellect. By publishing these papers I wrote, I had no pretension to list my own name among the illustrious names of the celebrated masters who wrote in this genre. I only wished to manifest my obedience to the authoritative mastery of those who ordered me to do so. Now that you are made certain of this truth, there is little left to do. Let my weakness tune itself consonantly with your loving compassion; and live happy”.
Whilst the self-deprecatory style is by no means unusual in similar dedications, the overall tone is so full of bonhomie and sympathy that one immediately gets the idea of the composer’s kindness and affability.
Little is known about Giacomo Cattaneo; in the collection’s titlepage he is described as “Master of psaltery and cello” in the “Collegio dei Nobili” in Brescia, an educational establishment managed by the Jesuits. We do not even know the exact dates of his life; in all likelihood, he was a Jesuit in turn. His music is as amiable as his words, and transmits a sense of pleasant freshness of inspiration.
Pietro Giuseppe Gaetano Boni was also a churchman; at least, he is described as Abbot on the titlepage of some of his published works, but the details of his ordination are unknown. He was born probably in Bologna in the second half of the seventeenth century. In 1711 he obtained a recommendation for Corelli, and this allowed him to be welcomed in Rome. Corelli evidently influenced the young musician’s style during the several years Boni spent in Rome (at least until 1720). In this city, Boni issued the first three volumes of his instrumental Sonatas, which are particularly interesting for the concertante role of the cello. Probably following their publication, Boni was accepted as a member of the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna. Other Sonata collections followed in the subsequent years, and their dissemination in various aristocratic households bears witness to their success. Boni wrote also several oratorios, and may have returned to Bologna in the final years of his life; he probably died around 1750 in Bologna. His music is really outstanding; the oblivion which currently surrounds his figure and works is utterly undeserved, and his figure needs to be reappraised.
By way of contrast, his mentor Corelli needs no presentation: one of the greatest composers of all times, he established the foundations of violin technique and explored the full potential of his instrument in chamber ensembles, thus contributing to the creation of the Baroque Sonata.
To the south of Rome is Naples, the city where the Palermo-born composer Alessandro Scarlatti spent most of his life (1660-1725). In turn, Scarlatti is in no need of introduction, and represents one of the highpoints of Italian music, particularly as concerns his output of operas and sacred music. His genius for melodies is evident also in his instrumental music, as appears clearly in the “Sonata I” recorded here.
Geographically situated halfway between Bologna and Rome, Florence was the city where Giovan Francesco Beccatelli lived and worked. He was born there on Nov. 8th, 1679 and received his musical education in his city. In 1715 he was appointed Chapel Master and organist in the Cathedral Church of Prato, near Florence, which would become his adoptive city until his death in 1734. He married and had a son who became a professional musician in turn. Beccatelli’s compositional output is not immense; in his time, he was better known for his numerous dissertations, articles and disquisitions about complex problems of musical theory, in particular as concerns the use of alterations. The manuscripts of many such articles are collected in a single volume preserved in the Fondo Gaspari, where other handwritten sources of his compositions are found. Gaspari considered Beccatelli’s fugato works for the harpsichord as “very good in their genre and very valuable”, thus bearing witness to the esteem in which Beccatelli was held.
The recommendation which helped Boni to gain Corelli’s favours had been signed by the famous Bolognese musician G. A. Perti, who was a close friend of Padre Martini and who also taught Giuseppe Antonio Vincenzo Aldrovandini. Aldrovandini was born in Bologna on June 8th, 1671; at 24 he was admitted to the Accademia Filarmonica, of which he was nominated a “prince” in 1702. In the same year he was also appointed an honorary Chapel Master in the orchestra of the Duke of Mantua: these titles acknowledge the unanimous recognition of his talent and skill. In spite of so many successes, Aldrovandini did not live a “happy life”, as Cattaneo would have said. He suffered from alcoholism and died tragically at the young age of 35. Martini prized his music highly, stating that “he displayed a singular naturalness in his works, along with artifice”. Once more, Martini was not mistaken: as this recording demonstrates, Aldrovandini can rightfully be listed among the genius composers of the Italian Baroque. Aldrovandini’s compositional output is constituted mainly by operas: interestingly, they continued to be represented decades after his death (until 1746), at a time when opera was a very ephemeral genre.
Perti and Corelli were also among the mentors of another composer represented in this album. Pirro Capacelli Albergati was born in Bologna on September 20th, 1663, and died there on June 22nd, 1735. Different from the other musicians whose works are recorded here, Capacelli Albergati was a nobleman; therefore, his musical activities were not bound to professional duties, and were undertaken out of mere pleasure. This, however, did not mean that his music was amateurish. Indeed, he was widely appreciated by his contemporaries, particularly as a proficient violinist. In this capacity, he may even have served as a Chapel Master in Puiano, near Urbino, thus earning the title of professional musician on the field. He also had important duties in the civil administration of his city, where he belonged in the Council of the Elders for no less than 24 times and had other important roles. His music is full of unusual harmonies; probably due to its originality, it was not understood by many of his contemporaries, and this may explain why such an important figure was not admitted to the Accademia Filarmonica. His daring music has been chosen as the closing of this album, since his piece leaves the music “open”, almost suspended. It is almost a question mark inviting further enquiries, both in the musicological field where much remains to be discovered, but also as concerns the curiosity and interest of the listeners of this album. To them, as Cattaneo would have put it, this music wishes: “live happy”!

Chiara Bertoglio © 2021