Vincenzo Ferroni, Ernesto Berio: Complete Organ Works (World Premiere Recordings)

Vincenzo Ferroni’s
Complete Organ Music
The life of Vincenzo Ferroni (Tramutola, February 17, 1858 – Milan, January 10, 1934), known today mainly for his Course in Counterpoint and Fugue, is undoubtedly fascinating and tells us about his unconditional love for Music.
Born in a small village in the province of Potenza, Basilicata, he became passionate about music thanks to his father, a tailor and amateur musician in the town’s wind band. Young Vincenzo began studying the horn and learned the first rudiments of music from his father, while his brother Domenico did the same with the violin.
In 1870, like many other fellow villagers, the family emigrated to Uruguay for economic reasons and reached Montevideo after a long and dangerous three-month journey by ship. However, in the capital, young Vincenzo did not find a favorable environment to pursue his musical studies. At just sixteen years old, he clandestinely embarked on a sailing vessel to return to Europe, landing in Le Havre. He settled in Paris, where he started working at cafes and in similar venues, playing the horn as an orchestral musician in operetta companies, and earning a living in this way.
In 1876, he was admitted to the Harmony, Solfege, and Accompaniment class of Augustin Savard at the Conservatoire de musique de Paris, and later to the Composition class taught by Jules Massenet. These were the years when a young Claude Debussy also attended the Paris Conservatoire, albeit with wavering constancy. In 1880, Ferroni obtained his diploma in Harmony, demonstrating great talent, which led to him being appointed as a substitute teacher in Savard’s class until 1883, when he graduated in Composition (Fugue) with Massenet. The examination panel included the director of the conservatory, Ambroise Thomas, as well as his teacher Massenet and Théodore Dubois.
In 1885, Le Figaro Illustré, a famous illustrated monthly supplement of the newspaper Le Figaro, announced a composition competition. Ferroni participated and came first among 613 contestants with his piece “Hymne d’un Pâtre Lydien” for piano, later to be transcribed for orchestra by the same composer. This triumph allowed him to gain recognition and appreciation in the musical circles of contemporaneous Paris.
In 1887, Ferroni, desiring to return to his homeland, decided apply for one of two professorships in compositions announced by the Royal Conservatory of Milan. After winning the competition, he was appointed as a composition professor on August 1, 1888, succeeding Amilcare Ponchielli. He held this position for forty years. During his tenure at the Milan Conservatory, he served as vice-director for twenty-four years and, for a few months, even as director, eventually passing on the role to his former student Arrigo Pedrollo.

Throughout his teaching career, Ferroni mentored numerous musicians, including Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli, Franco Vittadini, Ettore Pozzoli, Virgilio Mortari, and Federico Caudana.
The catalogue of the works written by the Lucanian Maestro is vast; indeed, during his lifetime, he composed works encompassing nearly all genres, ranging from opera to chamber music, from instrumental music to sacred compositions.
The Chorale and Fugue of 1891 (dedicated to Giuseppe Terrabugio) – titled “Pezzo per organo” in the edition attached to the periodical “Musica Sacra” of Milan -, the Two Preludes (dedicated to Théodore Dubois and Enrico Kaiser), and the Offertory – Prelude and Fugue op. 26 (dedicated to Luigi Mapelli) are compositions characterized by skillful and confident writing. Several aspects unite them: the contrapuntal writing, which is a constant feature of Ferroni’s output, and the melodiousness of the musical lines, which remains present even in the polyphonic texture. The indications for registration are not included, which should not be surprising as it was a common practice at the time. Although Ferroni was not an organist himself, he shows respect for the instrument, ensuring that every note is intelligible and sounds appropriate.
The collection of short pieces, consisting of two Entrate, three Elevazioni, three Versetti, and a Sortita, forms part of a publication of compositions intended for liturgical use. It was published by Calcografia Musica Sacra in Milan in 1888 and also appeared in other anthologies of organ music from that period. Despite their brevity, these pieces are meticulously and rigorously composed, mirroring the phrase that Ferroni used to repeat to his students regarding the dedication and effort required in their studies: “One must leave the blood of one’s eyes on the sheets” (meaning that they must put in great effort and concentration).
The Trois pièces de musique religieuse Op. 28 from 1886, all three of them still in manuscript form, reflect the influence of French taste in the use of harmonies, combined with Italian cantabile style in the treatment of melody, meticulously crafted in every detail. The two hymns for baritone voice, “Adoro te” and “O salutaris hostia” – the former attributed and the latter composed by Saint Thomas Aquinas – are contemplative pieces characterized by their emphasis on the high register, notated in the manuscript in the treble clef, suggesting that the composer had likely in mind a high baritone (“Baritenore”) voice. On the other hand, the Sanctus for tenor voice – performed in the present CD by a soprano – is characterized by an organ introduction with a martial character conveyed through the use of dotted rhythms, attenuated by the central recitative section and by the pianissimo ending.
“Ave Maria,” dedicated to Madame Caroline Salle de l’Opéra, is a deeply inspired religious piece with flawless construction, and it immediately enjoyed a certain degree of popularity. In fact, the newspaper Le Figaro published the piece as an attachment in 1886. Additionally, records of its performance in Parisian churches of St-François-de-Sales, St-Pierre-de-Montmartre, and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires in 1886 can be found, thanks to the magazine Le Progrès artistique: journal des artistes musiciens instrumentistes et choristes, which reviewed Ferroni’s pieces multiple times with enthusiasm.
“Invocazione” op. 57 is a composition with dense and tense harmonies, with the violin presenting a theme that resembles a Prière, a prayer. Following an organ and harp introduction, almost like a cadenza, the violin makes its appearance, supported by the organ. Throughout the piece, the three instruments merge together, with the violin always taking a leading role, leading to a climax of tension that gradually subsides, ultimately reaching the conclusion.
Alberto Barbetta © 2023

Ernesto Berio’s
Complete Organ Music
Luciano Berio is unanimously acknowledged as one of the greatest Italian composers of the twentieth century. While his was a very public figure, and also a very outspoken one (even in political terms), not many are aware that he came from a family of musicians, and that his first experiences with music were owed to his father and grandfather. Adolfo Berio (1847-1941), Luciano’s grandfather, was an organist and composer; in his late twenties, he started issuing organ works for publication, along with dance pieces as were fashionable at the time. His son Ernesto (1883-1866), Luciano’s father, was similarly encouraged to be a music professional; and although he began his career as a rank-and-file musician in light orchestras, he soon sought a more serious education. He left his birthplace in Liguria for Milan, one of the most prestigious Italian Conservatories, and he also studied composition with Ildebrando Pizzetti. Later, his son Luciano would recall being brought by Ernesto to the Conservatory of Milan: his father wanted to show his son where he had studied, and where, after just a few months, Luciano himself would be admitted as a student.
Having received a thorough education, Ernesto Berio tried his hand in the field of art songs, setting to music poetry by Giosue Carducci and by Heinrich Heine; following in his own father’s footsteps, he remained faithful also to the genre of church music. He did so in an unconventional fashion, though; he liked to play unorthodox pieces during worship services (although this was by no means a unique or particularly scandalous behaviour at his time).
Ernesto fell under the spell of the Fascist regime, and participated in a competition by the Ministry for Popular Culture (MinCulPop): it was a call for musical scores to celebrate the two-thousandth anniversary of Caesar Augustus’ birth. He contributed a symphonic trilogy, which, alas, exudes Fascist mystique. His son Luciano, a staunch Antifascist, would later comment: “May God forgive him!”.
In spite of his political leanings, Ernesto was an honest and well-formed music professional, who provided his son with a solid musical education and a stimulating environment, in which chamber music was constantly played. Ernesto was not only a church organist (at the parish church of San Giovanni Battista in Oneglia, where also his own father had been an organist), but he also played the piano at the local cinema. Ernesto was also an appreciated music teacher, and he had many singers among his pupils. His ability and skill as a composer are demonstrated by the two pieces recorded here, and particularly by the complex Prelude and Fugue intended as a homage to Vincenzo Ferroni, the other protagonist of this Da Vinci Classics album.
Chiara Bertoglio © 2023