Amazing pieces of classical music - 46
Antonio Vivaldi's Trio Sonata in D minor, Op. 1, No. 12, RV. 63, La Follia unfolds in one single movement made up of up to twenty variations on the "La Follia" theme performed this time around by the early music ensemble Hespèrion XXI under the great Jordi Savall in 2005. The Spanish conductor, composer and viol player Savall has been one of the giants in the field of Western early music since the 1970s.
The twelve Trio Sonatas were the very first collection of music pieces composed by Vivaldi, and published by the Venetian publisher Giuseppe Sala in 1705, the first edition believed to have been already released in 1703. These sonatas are for two violins and basso continuo, and in our performance it means that Manfredo Kraemer is joined by Mauro Lopes in a four-strong continuo group.
"La Folia" literally meaning madness, folly, or empty-headedness and is one of the most remarkable phenomena in music history. This simple but intriguing tune was first published in 1672, but was recorded by Francisco de Salinas in his 1577 treatise "De musica libri septem" and had its origines in Portuguese dance music. It's basically one of the eldest remembered European musical themes.
La Folia, or the Follia, had been used by numerous composers throughout the Baroque period, including Marin Marais (as mentioned in an earlier posting of mine), but also Jean-Baptiste Lully, Domenico Scarlatti, Henry Purcell, Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Händel. Moreover, later composers, from Beethoven to Rachmaninov, paid equal homage to this highly distinctive melody.
The most captivating element of "La Follia" is its harmony. In just eight measures, the harmonic progression leaves D minor to flirt with the relative major of F, only to return home again. It’s a really dramatic journey which never seems to get tiring. Personally, I think that here it's right to wonder if Vivaldi's overall health had anything major to do with this style of composing and compositions.
Afterall, he suffered from what he himself called "strettezza di petto" (translated: tightness of the chest) throughout his life, meaning a very severe asthma inhibiting his speech, and even making him weak and dizzy when he spoke. There's no denying that one can ask many more questions like what is really the mystery is behind the appeal for the Follia, etc.
The appeal can be found in the perfect symmetry, satisfying the human’s eternal pursuit for balance and harmony, or in the simple fact that it's a pleasant piece of music to listen to, crossing musical genres and equally at home in the country dance hall as the stately courts. Anyhow, as a review once claimed: "Very few artists transform the scholarly into the genuinely entertaining as successfully as Jordi Savall."
[media=https://youtu.be/1nDmDQaQdLE]
The twelve Trio Sonatas were the very first collection of music pieces composed by Vivaldi, and published by the Venetian publisher Giuseppe Sala in 1705, the first edition believed to have been already released in 1703. These sonatas are for two violins and basso continuo, and in our performance it means that Manfredo Kraemer is joined by Mauro Lopes in a four-strong continuo group.
"La Folia" literally meaning madness, folly, or empty-headedness and is one of the most remarkable phenomena in music history. This simple but intriguing tune was first published in 1672, but was recorded by Francisco de Salinas in his 1577 treatise "De musica libri septem" and had its origines in Portuguese dance music. It's basically one of the eldest remembered European musical themes.
La Folia, or the Follia, had been used by numerous composers throughout the Baroque period, including Marin Marais (as mentioned in an earlier posting of mine), but also Jean-Baptiste Lully, Domenico Scarlatti, Henry Purcell, Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Händel. Moreover, later composers, from Beethoven to Rachmaninov, paid equal homage to this highly distinctive melody.
The most captivating element of "La Follia" is its harmony. In just eight measures, the harmonic progression leaves D minor to flirt with the relative major of F, only to return home again. It’s a really dramatic journey which never seems to get tiring. Personally, I think that here it's right to wonder if Vivaldi's overall health had anything major to do with this style of composing and compositions.
Afterall, he suffered from what he himself called "strettezza di petto" (translated: tightness of the chest) throughout his life, meaning a very severe asthma inhibiting his speech, and even making him weak and dizzy when he spoke. There's no denying that one can ask many more questions like what is really the mystery is behind the appeal for the Follia, etc.
The appeal can be found in the perfect symmetry, satisfying the human’s eternal pursuit for balance and harmony, or in the simple fact that it's a pleasant piece of music to listen to, crossing musical genres and equally at home in the country dance hall as the stately courts. Anyhow, as a review once claimed: "Very few artists transform the scholarly into the genuinely entertaining as successfully as Jordi Savall."
[media=https://youtu.be/1nDmDQaQdLE]
