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Notes on the music ‘The organ [is] my passion … the organ is, to my eyes and ears, the king of instruments.’

W.A. Mozart Suite in C K399 – Overture Imitation was a well-established, respectable practice in the 18th century, giving rise to many works that reconcile intrinsic originality with reverence for the source of inspiration. Simple in formal structure, this overture reveals Mozart’s admiration for and deep knowledge of the fugues, polyphony and counterpoint typical of Baroque music, especially that of Handel and Bach. It begins with powerful slow introduction, consisting of the dotted rhythm characteristic of the French Ouverture, followed by a serried fugue that the composer completed up to the suspended unison cadenza (in the dominant of C minor, to prepare for the following Allemande movement). Various revisers later completed the fugue with a second cadenza in the style of a toccata improvisation, thereby returning to the initial C major key.

Adagio and Allegro in F minor K594 · Fantasia in F minor K608 · Andante in F K616 These three works were commissioned by Count Joseph Deym-Müller, a Bohemian nobleman who operated a sort of cabinet of wonders at various locations in Vienna between circa 1780 and 1804, when it was taken over by his widow who kept it going until 1819. The collection comprised curious works of art, plaster-cast copies of ancient sculptures, and handsomely-clad wax statues of famous contemporary personages, among them the Austrian military hero Field Marshal Ernst Gideon, Baron von Laudon, who had died shortly before, in 1790.

In Laudon’s honour, and for the benefit of the Viennese public, it was decided that music should accompany a somewhat macabre secular celebration of the great man’s life that featured his effigy lying in an artificially lit glass coffin. Although at the outset it is probable that compositions by various musicians were commissioned and used for these occasions, within the space of a few years it was Mozart who prevailed. According to a guidebook published in 1797, ‘every hour a suitable funeral music, especially written for the purpose by the unforgettable composer Mozart, is to be heard, which lasts eight minutes and in precision and purity surpasses anything that was ever attempted to be suitably applied to this kind of artistic work.’

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In Verzeichnüß aller meiner Werke, the chronological thematic catalogue of his works that Mozart kept from 1784 until his death, both the Adagio and Allegro in F minor K594 and the Fantasia in F minor K608 are described as ‘an organ piece for a clock’. The clock in this case was not essentially a timepiece, but rather one of a series of musical automata (which were part of Deym-Müller’s exhibitions) that enjoyed great popularity at the time. Such devices contained small pipe organs and were ‘programmed’ by pinning a rotating barrel in such a way that the pins struck the teeth of a comb or opened the valves of organ pipes at precisely the right moments. The repertory usually comprised arrangements of popular songs and dances, although on larger instruments extended works were sometimes undertaken, and occasionally original compositions.

In a letter dated 3 October 1790, Mozart had told his wife, Constanze, that he found writing for the clockmaker something of a trial, albeit one which would allow him to ‘slip a few ducats into the hand of my dear wife’. The first performance of the Adagio and Allegro in F minor K594, entered into Mozart’s catalogue under December 1790, took place on 23 March 1791, and by August of that same year the Wiener Zeitung was advertising the ‘choice funeral music composed by the famous Herr Capellmeister Mozart, which is wholly appropriate to the purpose for which it has been written.’ The great Fantasia and double fugue in F minor was composed in 1791 (dated in the catalogue as 3 March), in keeping with the composer’s habit of planning and writing two or more compositions in the same genre within brief intervals of time. Mozart’s original autograph score has not come down to us, but we know for sure that the work met with considerable acclaim, giving rise to versions for piano two- or four-hands, flute duet, organ, string quartet, orchestra and other instrumental combinations. Beethoven himself had a copy of the piece, writing his own version of the fugue section of the work, which continued to influence composers and performers until well into the 19th century. The Fantasia begins with the full chords and dotted rhythm typical of the Baroque French Overture style, leading to a fugue of masterful counterpoint and strength. This is followed by a middle section consisting of a graceful Andante in the relative major (A flat), after which we return to the opening dramatic material – this time featuring an intensified, more elaborate repeat of the fugue – which culminates in a powerful and brilliant ending.

Of the three works for mechanical organ, it is only the delicate Andante in F K616 (written for a ‘cylinder in a small organ’ and dated in Mozart’s catalogue as 4 May 1791) for which an autograph manuscript has survived. This work was commissioned by Deym-Müller, but for use in another location for what had become a travelling exhibition.

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Adagio in C K356 This work, which probably dates back to the last months of Mozart’s life, is thought to have been written in Vienna in 1791. It was originally conceived for the ‘Glasharmonika’, a curious instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin, featuring glass bowls that rotate in water and can be played by the fingers to create an unearthly sound. Equally effective for the organ, it is a luminous piece consisting of just 28 bars that reveal all the refined simplicity of Mozart’s late cantabile style. It was written for Marianna Kirchgässner, a celebrated glass harmonica player who was rendered blind at the age of three.

Adagio and Rondo in C minor K617 This piece was originally written for flute, oboe, viola, cello and glass harmonica. Despite the relatively limited range of this latter instrument, it enjoyed considerable success during the 18th century, producing a sound that was both sweet and melancholy. Goethe described being able to detect ‘das Herzblut der Welt’ – ‘the heart-blood of the world’ – in the chords of the harmonica. The German musicologist Alfred Einstein considered this Adagio and Rondo as one of Mozart’s divine works, a composition of an otherworldly beauty, ‘the instrumental counterpart to the Ave verum’.

Translation: Kate Singleton

Church Sonata in C K336 A development of the religious sonatas of the 1600s, Mozart’s Church Sonatas were written between 1772 and 1780, during the years the composer spent in Salzburg. In a letter of 1776 to Father Giovanni Battista Martini, the erudite monk, musician and teacher, Mozart described how these ‘Epistle Sonatas’ were performed during Mass, between the lesson from the Epistle and that of the Gospel. Because Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo brought a halt to this practice in 1783, and Mozart himself moved in Vienna in 1781, the Church Sonatas belong to a limited time span that did not embrace his mature works, though it certainly features some of his characteristic traits. They consist of a single movement in sonata form, marked ‘Allegro’, with the exception of Sonata K67, which is an ‘Andantino’. With their mixture of rhetorical élan and gentle, secular elegance, as a whole these sonatas bear witness to a concept of church music that is close to the stylistic ideals of the Neapolitan religious music that was fashionable at the time. Sonata K336, featured on this recording, is the only one to have a proper solo part for the organ. The transcription is by André Isoir.

Allegro in F K15a · Rondo in D K15d · Rondo in F K15hh · Piece in F K33b This series of musical sketches reveals Mozart’s pleasure in devoting his taste, wit and improvisational skills to the keyboard. Although these pieces were published as fragments in the composer’s overall keyboard oeuvre (those marked K15 are contained within the London Sketchbook, composed in the English capital in 1765), their freshness, vivacity and individuality earn them a place among the other great controversial works. In view of the way they naturally embrace the different registers and interplay of voices, they are well suited to performance on the organ.

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About the organ The completion of the imposing new organ for the Church of Maria Vergine Immacolata in Gallo Grinzane has been made possible by the re-use of pipework and other components belonging to the organ built by the firm of Heissler in 1964 for the St Bonifatius Catholic community in Tauberbischofsheim, Germany. The instrument is, in both conception and workmanship, northEuropean in style. It has been completely redesigned, matching the dimensions of its structure and pipework to its new location. In particular, each stop has been specifically voiced to suit the acoustic properties of the church; the casework has also been modified to reflect the aesthetic environment.

The organ’s three manuals and pedal have a suspended mechanical key action, with electric stop action; the pipework is laid out according to the German ‘Werkprinzip’ style, which reflects the relative spatial separation of the different divisions.

The centrally-located Hauptwerk (Manual II) expresses itself through the full-bodied sound of the 8’ Prinzipal, its upper harmonics surmounted by the warmly luminous Mixtur, through the blast of the 8’ Trompete and the expressive voices of the flutes, imposing itself intensely over the other manuals. The 16’ Bourdon adds smoothness and depth to the chorus, while the presence of the evocative 8’ Viola da gamba offers the possibility of both a blended sound and an individual colour.

The distinctive 5-rank Cornett is particularly suitable for solo passages.

The pipes of the Schwellwerk (Manual III) are located under the Hauptwerk, offering softer, less strident sonorities, with a more Romantic flavour. The mysterious 8’ Cor de nuit forms the basis of this division; in free combination with the 2 2/3’ Nazard, the 2’ Flageolett and the 1 3/5’ Tierce, it is well suited to providing echo and dialogue effects with the other manuals. The narrow-scale 8’ Salicional is the organ’s quietest stop. The 8’ Hautbois has French-style shallots and is a more suitable register for cantabile passages in Romantic music. A 16’ Basson and an 8’ Trompette provide further dynamic resources; to complete the sound palette, a Plein Jeu, also in French style, adds both clarity and vivacity.

The mighty power of the Pedal divison embraces and supports the entire sound palette, providing a foundation which is acoustic, harmonic and architectural. The façade contains the main pipes of the 16’ Prinzipalbass, made from tin and starting from C1. The position of its pipes, divided with uneven notes on the left (C side) and even notes on the right (C# side), provides support and

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balance. The deep bass notes of the imposing 16’ Posaune throw the melodic lines into relief, while the 8’ Fagott and 4’ Clairon are well suited to the solo functions of this division, allowing a prominent cantus firmus in the pedal.

The Rückpositiv (Manual I) is a separate, smaller divison positioned at the player’s back, and thus closer to the congregation. More brilliant, lively and immediate in sound, the specification mirrors the Hauptwerk and lends itself to dialogue with it. The sound is founded on the 8’ Holz-gedeckt, a rank consisting entirely of oak pipes which provide a soft, velvety sound, characterised by a distinctive ‘chiff’. The northern-style Sesquialter is an ideal, sharp-witted solo stop. A brilliant Cymbel crowns the chorus of this manual, and the 8’ Cromorne, with its slightly pungent timbre, reminiscent of a bygone age, completes its specification.

In general, the stops of this instrument display a great variety of construction and timbre. For instance, the flutes vary in shape – ‘open’, ‘conical’, ‘chimney’, ‘stopped’ and ‘wooden’ – providing a range of sounds and tonal blends which work well individually and in combination with other stops. The same is true of the scaling of the principals, and the intrinsic features of the reeds, which lend themselves equally to providing both a blended sound and individual detail. 훿 Piero Sandri Translation: Graeme Kay

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Organ of the Church of Maria Vergine Immacolata, Gallo di Grinzane Cavour (Cuneo), Italy Rückpositiv Holz-gedeckt Prinzipal Rohrflöte Sesquialtera Oktav Larigot Superoktav Cymbel Cromorne*

8’ 4’ 4’ II 2’ 1 1/3’ 1’ III 8’

Hauptwerk Bourdon Prinzipal Viola da gamba Spitzflöte Oktav Blockflöte Quinte Superoktav Mixtur Cornett* Trompete Chiarine* Trompeta real*

16’ 8’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2 2/3’ 2’ IV V 8’ 4’ 8’

Schwellwerk Salicional Cor de nuit Voix céleste* Prestant Flût douce Nazard Flageolett Tierce* Plein Jeu* Basson* Hautbois Trompette*

8’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2 2/3’ 2’ 1 3/5’ II–VI 16’ 8’ 8’

Pedal Untersatz* Prinzipalbass Subbass Oktavbass Gemshorn* Choralbass Tiorbe* Posaune Fagott* Clairon

32’ 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ III 16’ 8’ 4’

*Stops prepared for

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Ivan Ronda attended the ‘Giuseppe Nicolini’ Conservatoire in Piacenza where he studied the piano, organ and harpsichord with Luigi Toja, graduating with honours.

As an organist he is particularly renowned for his masterful interpretations of the great works of J.S. Bach. He is considered an authoritative interpreter, acknowledged for his fine technique, brilliant employment of the various colours of the organ and compelling teaching of counterpoint. He has participated in several piano and organ masterclasses, in particular one held by the great French virtuoso Jean Guillou.

In 2004 he founded Trio Barocco (with soprano Emi Aikawa and Baroque trumpeter Alberto Bardelloni), with which he is planning a tour of Japan and America and has recently released a recording of music by Galuppi, Scarlatti, Bach, Purcell, Viviani and Handel on the Sheva Collection label. For the French label Fugatto, he recorded a disc of J.S. Bach’s organ music, played on the monumental Tamburini/Bonato organ of the Duomo di San Lorenzo in Abano Terme, near Padua.

In 2012 he recorded a double disc of music dedicated to Bach on the Silbermann organ of the Arlesheimer Dom in Switzerland; in 2013 he became the first Italian organist to record an album on the historic Baroque organ of the Johanniskirche in Lüneburg, an instrument known to Bach.

Various prestigious international reviews and journals have stressed the excellence of these many recordings.

Ronda has toured England, where he gave recitals at King’s College and St John’s College, Cambridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham and Coventry Cathedral. He also made a significant tour of South America in 2005,

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performing on the prestigious organs of cathedrals and basilicas in Montevideo and Buenos Aires (including the Metropolitan Cathedral, where he played before an audience of more than 1,000 people). The performances were broadcast by Rai International and Radio Classica Brescia. As a conductor, Ronda has been a guest of the Teatro Grande in Brescia and, as a pianist, at the traditional Christmas concert with Gianni Alberti (saxophone/clarinet) and Paolo Antognetti (tenor).

In 2009 Ronda was appointed Professor of Music Education at the school of human sciences ‘Sacra Famiglia’ in Soncino, and in 2010 at the Istituto Sant’Angela Merici in Manerbio. He is also titular organist and director of the parish choir of Borgo San Giacomo, near Manerbio, and organist in other parish churches.

Special thanks to Francesco Mollo, Piero Sandri, Edoardo Marengo, Manuele Priolo, Marco Viberti & Elena Prandi

Recording: 24 April 2014, Church of Maria Vergine Immacolata, Gallo di Grinzane Cavour (Cuneo), Italy Sound engineer, editing & mastering: Federico Savio (fede.savio@libero.it) Editorial consultant: Graeme Kay Booklet photos: 훿 Edoardo Marengo (organ); 훿 Giuseppe Pesce (Ronda) Publishers: Universal (revision by Martin Haselboek) (1, 4, 10); Bärenreiter (2, 3, 11); Delatour France (organ transcription by André Isoir) (5); Urtext (6–10)  & 훿 2015 Brilliant Classics

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