Amerita Chamber Players
Program Notes for Concert, April 17, 2024
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) Trio in E Minor, Op. 12, No. 2
Born into an intensely artistic family, Luigi Boccherini quickly embraced music and showed significant promise early. He made his performing debut as a cellist at the age of 13 and organized the first public string quartet performances in Milan. He visited Spain in 1761, fell in love with the country, and spent the rest of his life there.
He wrote a tremendous number of sonatas, string quartets, quintets, sextets and octets, plus a half dozen cello concertos and over two dozen symphonies. He arranged many of his keyboard works from string ensemble music he had written, and this trio is adapted by him from one of his early Op. 12 string quintets. Keyboard writing in the Italian Baroque was not technically demanding for the most part, but this Trio is a real showpiece for the harpsichord. Boccherini lists the keyboard first and gives it many opportunities to shine.
The harpsichord opens the fast first movement and the strings follow soon afterwards. The music alternates between the very serious opening statement and lighter elements which are interspersed. The Menuetto is marked “affettuoso” (affectionate, tender) and is unhurried and only slightly formal. The Finale is marked Presto and is filled with rambunctious energy and his unfailing good humor.
Tommasso Giordani (1733-1806) Duetto No. 2, Op. 22
Born in Naples, the son of an impresario who seemed always to be on the road with a traveling opera company (made up mostly of members of his own family), young Tommasso ended up in England when he was twenty years old and gravitated to Dublin, where he married, retired and died.
His composing style was still of the late Baroque galant style made popular by J. C. Bach. Working often in London, he was very aware of and influenced by the great Joseph Haydn, who had become a superstar in London’s thriving concert world. Giordani wrote many operas, some of which were successful. He was also referred to as the “best cavatina composer of the time,” and it is in this more modest vein that we find this charming duo.
Niccolò Pasquali (1718-1757) Harpsichord Sonata in A Major
This Italian violinist, composer and theorist was born in Cosenza in the south of Italy and settled in the British Isles: in Edinburgh, London, and Dublin. His many works for harpsichord, violin, and triosonatas were published in London, along with many minuets and songs. Much of his music and theoretical writings was lost. Two important treatises, one on thoroughbass and one on harpsichord technique, were published in Edinburgh and survive.
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) Violin Sonata in E Major
Born Giovanni Battista Draghi and given the name Pergolesi in reference to his family’s origins, he is considered one of the greatest Italian musicians of the early 18th century, a representative of the Neapolitan school. Despite his short life (he died of tuberculosis at the age of 26), he created works of the highest artistic value and historical importance during the five years he was composing. His opera, “La Serva Padrona” was the most influential force in the development of opera buffa in Europe, and his “L’Olimpiade” is considered one of the great masterworks of opera seria in the early 18th century. He wrote this unforgettable violin sonata as well as a violin concerto and many other secular and sacred works.
His legendary fame after his death was so pervasive that many works were attributed to him and many infamously inaccurate biographies appeared. Although about 50 works are considered possibly authentic, only 28 have been confirmed as genuinely his.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Trio in C Minor, RV 83
Vivaldi, one of the finest violinists of his day, was born and spent most of his life in Venice. With a shock of red hair, he was known as il Pretro Rosso (The Red Priest). He was sickly -- most likely suffering from asthma -- and, unable to fulfill the demands of priestly duties, devoted himself instead to music.
Physically debilitated or not, his mind was lightning-fast and powerful. Ideas came quickly to him, and he just as quickly committed them to paper. His prodigious output and wealth of musical ideas are among the most impressive in all of music.
This Trio is a brilliant work, making great technical demands on all three players. It is unusual in that it has only three movements. Corelli’s so-called “church sonata” (slow - fast - slow - fast) had become the default pattern for so many Italian sonatas, but this is neither the typical Trio Sonata or solo Sonata. Vivaldi was quite adept at putting his own mark on the architecture of his creations.
The first movement opens with furiously arpeggiated chords and the energy never flags. Trills, ornaments, virtuoso passages all highlight the boundless energy of this piece.
The more thoughtful Largo, on the other hand, is more intimate. While it is ornamented and has many of the same devices as the first movement, it is a rather tender look within. While I’ve never seen documentation, I hear faint traces of some Middle Eastern music. Venice was a major port city and many different cultural influences enriched the life of the city. Perhaps Vivaldi heard and picked up on some of the musical ones.
The last movement is marked “Allegro” but sounds like a dance movement. It is not aggressive like the first movement; it has a grace and poise which can only come from the greatest creative geniuses.
Program Notes for Concert, April 17, 2024
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) Trio in E Minor, Op. 12, No. 2
Born into an intensely artistic family, Luigi Boccherini quickly embraced music and showed significant promise early. He made his performing debut as a cellist at the age of 13 and organized the first public string quartet performances in Milan. He visited Spain in 1761, fell in love with the country, and spent the rest of his life there.
He wrote a tremendous number of sonatas, string quartets, quintets, sextets and octets, plus a half dozen cello concertos and over two dozen symphonies. He arranged many of his keyboard works from string ensemble music he had written, and this trio is adapted by him from one of his early Op. 12 string quintets. Keyboard writing in the Italian Baroque was not technically demanding for the most part, but this Trio is a real showpiece for the harpsichord. Boccherini lists the keyboard first and gives it many opportunities to shine.
The harpsichord opens the fast first movement and the strings follow soon afterwards. The music alternates between the very serious opening statement and lighter elements which are interspersed. The Menuetto is marked “affettuoso” (affectionate, tender) and is unhurried and only slightly formal. The Finale is marked Presto and is filled with rambunctious energy and his unfailing good humor.
Tommasso Giordani (1733-1806) Duetto No. 2, Op. 22
Born in Naples, the son of an impresario who seemed always to be on the road with a traveling opera company (made up mostly of members of his own family), young Tommasso ended up in England when he was twenty years old and gravitated to Dublin, where he married, retired and died.
His composing style was still of the late Baroque galant style made popular by J. C. Bach. Working often in London, he was very aware of and influenced by the great Joseph Haydn, who had become a superstar in London’s thriving concert world. Giordani wrote many operas, some of which were successful. He was also referred to as the “best cavatina composer of the time,” and it is in this more modest vein that we find this charming duo.
Niccolò Pasquali (1718-1757) Harpsichord Sonata in A Major
This Italian violinist, composer and theorist was born in Cosenza in the south of Italy and settled in the British Isles: in Edinburgh, London, and Dublin. His many works for harpsichord, violin, and triosonatas were published in London, along with many minuets and songs. Much of his music and theoretical writings was lost. Two important treatises, one on thoroughbass and one on harpsichord technique, were published in Edinburgh and survive.
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) Violin Sonata in E Major
Born Giovanni Battista Draghi and given the name Pergolesi in reference to his family’s origins, he is considered one of the greatest Italian musicians of the early 18th century, a representative of the Neapolitan school. Despite his short life (he died of tuberculosis at the age of 26), he created works of the highest artistic value and historical importance during the five years he was composing. His opera, “La Serva Padrona” was the most influential force in the development of opera buffa in Europe, and his “L’Olimpiade” is considered one of the great masterworks of opera seria in the early 18th century. He wrote this unforgettable violin sonata as well as a violin concerto and many other secular and sacred works.
His legendary fame after his death was so pervasive that many works were attributed to him and many infamously inaccurate biographies appeared. Although about 50 works are considered possibly authentic, only 28 have been confirmed as genuinely his.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Trio in C Minor, RV 83
Vivaldi, one of the finest violinists of his day, was born and spent most of his life in Venice. With a shock of red hair, he was known as il Pretro Rosso (The Red Priest). He was sickly -- most likely suffering from asthma -- and, unable to fulfill the demands of priestly duties, devoted himself instead to music.
Physically debilitated or not, his mind was lightning-fast and powerful. Ideas came quickly to him, and he just as quickly committed them to paper. His prodigious output and wealth of musical ideas are among the most impressive in all of music.
This Trio is a brilliant work, making great technical demands on all three players. It is unusual in that it has only three movements. Corelli’s so-called “church sonata” (slow - fast - slow - fast) had become the default pattern for so many Italian sonatas, but this is neither the typical Trio Sonata or solo Sonata. Vivaldi was quite adept at putting his own mark on the architecture of his creations.
The first movement opens with furiously arpeggiated chords and the energy never flags. Trills, ornaments, virtuoso passages all highlight the boundless energy of this piece.
The more thoughtful Largo, on the other hand, is more intimate. While it is ornamented and has many of the same devices as the first movement, it is a rather tender look within. While I’ve never seen documentation, I hear faint traces of some Middle Eastern music. Venice was a major port city and many different cultural influences enriched the life of the city. Perhaps Vivaldi heard and picked up on some of the musical ones.
The last movement is marked “Allegro” but sounds like a dance movement. It is not aggressive like the first movement; it has a grace and poise which can only come from the greatest creative geniuses.
Amerita Chamber Players
Program Notes for Concert March 20, 2024 at 8:00 pm
Pietro Nardini (1722-1793) String Quartet No. 2
Born in Livorno, at the age of 12 he began studying violin with Giuseppe Tartini in Padua. He was invited to the court of Maria Theresa in Vienna numerous times. In 1762 he moved to Stuttgart and remained in Germanic courts until 1770, when he returned to Italy to assist Tartini in the last year of his life. He was a friend of Leopold Mozart and met Wolfgang Mozart on his first visit to Italy in 1770. While his roots were in the Italian Baroque, he wrote in the Classical style and his music is regarded as sentimental but melodious.
Francesco Canova da Milano (1497-1543) Ricercars No. 8, No. 2
Also known as “Il Divino,” he was known as an Italian lutenist and composer
Born in Monza, near Milano, he worked for the papal court in Rome for nearly his entire career, a private musician to Pope Leo X beginning in October 1516. His work influenced composers for nearly a century after his death. He composed more than one hundred ricercars and fantasias, which strongly influenced the development of lute music.
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) Centone di Sonate No. 4
One of the most influential musicians in the history of European music, Niccolò Paganini inspired countless musicians with his virtuosity and hypnotically dramatic style. Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, and Robert Schumann fell under his spell, and their music reflected this new glimpse of not only the virtuosic but the Romantic possibilities in music which they had discovered from hearing Paganini play.
Of his almost 140 surviving chamber works, over one hundred involve guitar. Some of the most fascinating among these works are found within the set of 18 “Centone di sonate,” written around 1830. A centone is something like a musical quilt -– a composition formed by piecing parts from sundry older works into a new and larger whole. Paganini borrowed, mainly from his earlier works, combining charming ditties too small for individual publication, and styling the results “sonate” (sonatas).
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) Quintetto in D Minor, G. 445
Boccherini was born in Lucca and died in Madrid, his home for thirty-seven years. He was a cello virtuoso and an extraordinarily prolific composer. Among his massive output (symphonies, concertos, secular pieces, etc.) are no less than one hundred quintets.
Like many composers of his time, Boccherini was attracted to the guitar. In response to a request from the Marquis de Benevente, patron and amateur musician, he composed a group of six quintets for guitar and strings.
He must have enjoyed his abilities as well as his eccentricities: his music is filled with invention, drama and humor. In this quintet Boccherini luxuriates in his style, often allowing the music to lose its way, reining it back just as the thread is about to unravel. The Finale especially is both powerful and full of fun.
Program Notes for Concert March 20, 2024 at 8:00 pm
Pietro Nardini (1722-1793) String Quartet No. 2
Born in Livorno, at the age of 12 he began studying violin with Giuseppe Tartini in Padua. He was invited to the court of Maria Theresa in Vienna numerous times. In 1762 he moved to Stuttgart and remained in Germanic courts until 1770, when he returned to Italy to assist Tartini in the last year of his life. He was a friend of Leopold Mozart and met Wolfgang Mozart on his first visit to Italy in 1770. While his roots were in the Italian Baroque, he wrote in the Classical style and his music is regarded as sentimental but melodious.
Francesco Canova da Milano (1497-1543) Ricercars No. 8, No. 2
Also known as “Il Divino,” he was known as an Italian lutenist and composer
Born in Monza, near Milano, he worked for the papal court in Rome for nearly his entire career, a private musician to Pope Leo X beginning in October 1516. His work influenced composers for nearly a century after his death. He composed more than one hundred ricercars and fantasias, which strongly influenced the development of lute music.
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) Centone di Sonate No. 4
One of the most influential musicians in the history of European music, Niccolò Paganini inspired countless musicians with his virtuosity and hypnotically dramatic style. Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, and Robert Schumann fell under his spell, and their music reflected this new glimpse of not only the virtuosic but the Romantic possibilities in music which they had discovered from hearing Paganini play.
Of his almost 140 surviving chamber works, over one hundred involve guitar. Some of the most fascinating among these works are found within the set of 18 “Centone di sonate,” written around 1830. A centone is something like a musical quilt -– a composition formed by piecing parts from sundry older works into a new and larger whole. Paganini borrowed, mainly from his earlier works, combining charming ditties too small for individual publication, and styling the results “sonate” (sonatas).
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) Quintetto in D Minor, G. 445
Boccherini was born in Lucca and died in Madrid, his home for thirty-seven years. He was a cello virtuoso and an extraordinarily prolific composer. Among his massive output (symphonies, concertos, secular pieces, etc.) are no less than one hundred quintets.
Like many composers of his time, Boccherini was attracted to the guitar. In response to a request from the Marquis de Benevente, patron and amateur musician, he composed a group of six quintets for guitar and strings.
He must have enjoyed his abilities as well as his eccentricities: his music is filled with invention, drama and humor. In this quintet Boccherini luxuriates in his style, often allowing the music to lose its way, reining it back just as the thread is about to unravel. The Finale especially is both powerful and full of fun.
Notes for the Concert of DECEMBER 6, 2023
Maddalena Lombardini-Syrmen (Venice, 1745-1818)
String Quartet No. 2
Maddalena Lombardini-Syrmen was one of very few women composers who were able to compose and be published under their own name. Her husband supported her completely, and most likely help defend her against the “masculine turf” composers imagined that they owned.
She is Classical and lived at the same time as Joseph Haydn. Her style is distinctly Italian, gracious and energetic. She was born in Venice to poverty-stricken parents who were noble by birth. She began her studies in the San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti (one of the four great hospices which trained orphaned girls in music) at the age of seven, hoping to become a professional violinist. She was so advanced that Giuseppe Tartini took her as a student and paid her tuition at the orphanage himself.
In 1767 she married the renowned violinist Ludovico Sirmen (Syrmen). A critic in Torino wrote, “She won the hearts of all the people of Torino with her playing . . . . I wrote old Tartini with the good news, it will make him all the happier . . .” In 1771 her violin concerto won rave reviews in London. She truly established herself as a brilliant and gifted composer. This quartet is one of six she composed in 1769; it was published in Paris and later in London.
Giovanni Battista Cirri (Forli, 1724-1808)
Duetto Op. 8, No. 8 for two violoncelli
Giovanni Battista Cirri was born in Forli in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. He was admitted to Holy Orders in 1739 but decided to become a professional musician. He began his career in Paris but moved to London in 1764 and was employed as chamber musician to the Duke of York and Albany, and director of music to the Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. A cellist, he wrote eight duets for two celli for “His Most Serene Highness the Prince of Brunswick" in 1766. He performed regularly in London, including appearances with the 8-year-old Mozart in his first and then in his final concert in London, and in the Bach-Abel Concerts which were very popular at the time.
Niccolo' Paganini (Genoa, 1782 - Nice, 1840)
Notturno No.4
The Paganini is only four minutes long. It has a very short introduction, a lyrical section and then a very spirited final section. Since it is essentially a miniature, I didn’t list the tempo changes in the printed program. Nancy feels it will just cause confusion. She will talk about it at the concert of course, and explain the various sections. Paganini was not only famous for virtuoso violin works and especially his Caprices, but also for many smaller works of great melodic beauty. This is one of his miniatures, each tiny section filled out with lovely sounds.
Luigi Boccherini (Lucca, 1743-Madrid, 1805)
Cello Quintet
Luigi Boccherini can be said to have conquered Spain. Italian music was all the rage there. When he visited Spain in 1761, Spain certainly conquered him; he fell in love with the country and stayed there for the rest of his life. In 1770 he was in the employ of Infante Luis Antonio of Spain, the younger brother of King Charles III.
Boccherini flourished at the royal court until the King found one passage which didn’t meet with his approval. He ordered Boccherini to remove it. Boccherini, normally the most good-natured and good-humored man, perhaps exercised too much good humor and, instead of removing the passage, had it played twice. The Kind fired him. He and the Infante then moved to Arenas de San Pedro in Avila, where he wrote many of his most famous works, including this quintet.
Boccherini was perhaps the finest cellist of his day and delighted in writing chamber works which showed off his great technical powers. He composed about 100 quintets of one kind or another, many of them for two violoncelli (some for guitar or piano). This quintet is distinctly for two violoncelli and has them paired together or has one paired with another stringed instrument for a delightful variety of textures. It contains one of his most beloved and best-known pieces, the Minuetto, a gem of simplicity and beauty.
Maddalena Lombardini-Syrmen (Venice, 1745-1818)
String Quartet No. 2
Maddalena Lombardini-Syrmen was one of very few women composers who were able to compose and be published under their own name. Her husband supported her completely, and most likely help defend her against the “masculine turf” composers imagined that they owned.
She is Classical and lived at the same time as Joseph Haydn. Her style is distinctly Italian, gracious and energetic. She was born in Venice to poverty-stricken parents who were noble by birth. She began her studies in the San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti (one of the four great hospices which trained orphaned girls in music) at the age of seven, hoping to become a professional violinist. She was so advanced that Giuseppe Tartini took her as a student and paid her tuition at the orphanage himself.
In 1767 she married the renowned violinist Ludovico Sirmen (Syrmen). A critic in Torino wrote, “She won the hearts of all the people of Torino with her playing . . . . I wrote old Tartini with the good news, it will make him all the happier . . .” In 1771 her violin concerto won rave reviews in London. She truly established herself as a brilliant and gifted composer. This quartet is one of six she composed in 1769; it was published in Paris and later in London.
Giovanni Battista Cirri (Forli, 1724-1808)
Duetto Op. 8, No. 8 for two violoncelli
Giovanni Battista Cirri was born in Forli in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. He was admitted to Holy Orders in 1739 but decided to become a professional musician. He began his career in Paris but moved to London in 1764 and was employed as chamber musician to the Duke of York and Albany, and director of music to the Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. A cellist, he wrote eight duets for two celli for “His Most Serene Highness the Prince of Brunswick" in 1766. He performed regularly in London, including appearances with the 8-year-old Mozart in his first and then in his final concert in London, and in the Bach-Abel Concerts which were very popular at the time.
Niccolo' Paganini (Genoa, 1782 - Nice, 1840)
Notturno No.4
The Paganini is only four minutes long. It has a very short introduction, a lyrical section and then a very spirited final section. Since it is essentially a miniature, I didn’t list the tempo changes in the printed program. Nancy feels it will just cause confusion. She will talk about it at the concert of course, and explain the various sections. Paganini was not only famous for virtuoso violin works and especially his Caprices, but also for many smaller works of great melodic beauty. This is one of his miniatures, each tiny section filled out with lovely sounds.
Luigi Boccherini (Lucca, 1743-Madrid, 1805)
Cello Quintet
Luigi Boccherini can be said to have conquered Spain. Italian music was all the rage there. When he visited Spain in 1761, Spain certainly conquered him; he fell in love with the country and stayed there for the rest of his life. In 1770 he was in the employ of Infante Luis Antonio of Spain, the younger brother of King Charles III.
Boccherini flourished at the royal court until the King found one passage which didn’t meet with his approval. He ordered Boccherini to remove it. Boccherini, normally the most good-natured and good-humored man, perhaps exercised too much good humor and, instead of removing the passage, had it played twice. The Kind fired him. He and the Infante then moved to Arenas de San Pedro in Avila, where he wrote many of his most famous works, including this quintet.
Boccherini was perhaps the finest cellist of his day and delighted in writing chamber works which showed off his great technical powers. He composed about 100 quintets of one kind or another, many of them for two violoncelli (some for guitar or piano). This quintet is distinctly for two violoncelli and has them paired together or has one paired with another stringed instrument for a delightful variety of textures. It contains one of his most beloved and best-known pieces, the Minuetto, a gem of simplicity and beauty.