Paul Wolfe (harpsichord) Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1644) Released in 1957 by Experiences Anonymes, EA 0022. Recorded at Esoteric Sound Studios, N. Y. C. by Jerry Newman. The harpsichord on this record is a Pleyel, aud has two manuals and six pedals. The lower manual has an eight-foot stop, a four-foot stop, and a coupler; the upper, two eight·foot stops-one nasal-and the lute. Side 1 1. THREE GAILLARDS (Nos. 1, 2 & 3) 2. PARTITE 12 SOPRA L'ARIA DI RUGGIERO 3 CANZONA SECONDA (1637) 4. PARTITE 6 SOPRA L'ARIA DI FOLLIA Side 2 1. CAN ZONA QUARTA (1637) 2. FOUR CORRENTI 3. CANZONA PRIMA (1637) 4. PARTITE II SOPRA L'ARIA DI MONICHA Frescobaldi is often considered one of the most original innovators in the history of music; however, he, like all innovators, did not originate all that has been credited to him. This statement is in no way intended to detract from Frescobaldi's genius and originality, but is written to dispel any remnant of the old, fallacious assumption that he, without a trace of the past and absolutely solitarily, began to write music in a new fashion. Musical characteristics of the Renaissance in his music-though his music is certainly Baroque . -are almost as numerous and easily discernible as arc his departures from them. Particularly, many influences of the Venetian school, a legacy from Luzzachi, are evident. Some five or six years before Frescobaldi's first publication, Trabaci and Mayone published works which, in a more modest frame, exhibit the techniques Frescobaldi embraced and, with his truly divine imagination, exploited. His Canzoni are closely related to those of Mayone and Trabaci, as are his Partite. And in his Gagliardi and Corrente he adopted the uneven phrase structure (4 and 5 bars or 4 and 3 bars rather than the regular 4 bars) consistently used by Mayone and Trabaci. But it matters little that he did not originate this new style-the true value of Frescobaldi is that he devoted his genius to the development of it. In the prefaces of various volumes of his published works Frescobaldi wrote the following rules for performing his music : from Toccate e Partite (1614)- "1. To begin with, this mode of playing is not governed by . strict time but rather by a flexible beat as one finds in the performance of modern madrigals . . . 2. Concerning the toccatas ... the sections are arranged so that the performer may play only those which he chooses to play, ending when he likes. 3. The opening sections of the Toccatas, and almost half of each piece, should be played adagio and arpeggiando; tied and slurred notes should be played similarly so that the instrument will not sound empty. This, however, must be left to the discretion of the performer. 4. The final note of a trill, of a succession of skips, or of a scale, should be held regardless of its value. In this fashion one avoids indis.tinct phrasing-and also different passages will not be confused with each other. 5. Cadences should be sustained, though some are written quick; when they end passages preparatory to a final cadence, the tempo should retard. 6. If one hand has a trill and the other a scale, play the trill rapidly-do not divide note for note. 7. If one hand plays a passage of eighth notes and the other sixteenths, the sixteenth notes must be played somewhat dotted, the second of each two sixteenths receiving the dot. 8. If rapid scales occur simultaneously in both hands, one must stop on the note preceding the scales and then resolutely play them allowing finger dexterity tQ appear greater. 9. In the Partite when one finds expressive passages and ornaments the tempo should be rather slow and deliberate, the same is true in the Toccatas. Other pieces may be played somewhat faster at the discretion of the performer; the perfection of this style of playing lies in the tempo." and from Capricci e Canzoni (1624)- "As these pieces may prove difficult to perform because of the diverse tempi and changes of time, and variety of variations . . . I will say that in those passages which seem written in an unusual way the performer must attempt to understand their musical sense and expression and to follow the intention of the composer. PAUL WOLFE, born in Waco, Texas, majored in music at the University of Texas, from which he received his Master's Degree in 1950. Since then, he has studied piano with Webster Aitken, and harpsichord with Denise Restout. He has been on the faculty of the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, and is now studying with Madame Wanda Landowska. Mr. Wolfe has appeared in concerts in many eastern universities and in New York City, and is a member of the New York Chamber Trio. This is his third record for Experiences Anonymes' series devoted to early keyboard masters. The first two albums, ENGLISH KEYBOARD MUSIC from the Tudor Age to the Restoration (EA-0013) and GIROLAMO FRESCOBALDI-Canzoni, Correnti, Gaillards and Partitas (EA-0022), have brought him wide recognition.

• published: 24 Feb 2016
• views: 35