Claudio Merulo: conservatism and innovation
Claudio Merulo: conservatismo e innovazione
The Liber primus sacrarum cantionum quinque vocum was printed together with the Liber secundus in Venice in 1578. At that time, Claudio Merulo, first organist at the Basilica of San Marco, was at the height of his flourishing musical career. Although he is nowadays remembered as a composer of keyboard works of great importance, he also wrote a large number of vocal works of immense artistic value. In addition to a large compilation of madrigals composed throughout his life, Claudio Merulo left a major collection of masses and several books of single or multiple choir motets. If his masses are characterised by a more conservative compositional trait, then Merulo’s motets not only show that they belong to the highest Renaissance tradition, but also reveal an innovative form and linguistic freedom. This is particularly evident in his five-part motets for single choir published here: the imitative counterpoint with which each motet usually starts often melts into antiphonal sections and ritornello passages that seem to brightly anticipate, by a suggestive interplay of musical spaces and colours, the concertato style of the rising Baroque period. 훿 Diego Procoli
Il Liber primus sacrarum cantionum quinque vocum vide la luce, assieme al Liber secundus a lui complementare, a Venezia, nel 1578. A quel tempo Claudio Merulo, primo organista in San Marco, era nel pieno fulgore della propria attività musicale e compositiva. Ricordato oggi principalmente come compositore di opere per tastiera di importanza capitale, Merulo ci ha lasciato anche una produzione vocale, sacra e profana, di altissimo valore. A una fitta costellazione di madrigali si affiancano un’importante silloge di Messe e numerosi libri di mottetti, destinati a cori singoli o multipli. Se nelle Messe Merulo tuttavia si attarda su impianti compositivi più conservatori, nei mottetti egli non solo rivela la propria appartenenza alla più fulgida tradizione veneziana del Rinascimento maturo, ma sfoggia una libertà formale e linguistica peculiare e innovativa. Ciò è particolarmente evidente proprio nei mottetti a cinque voci destinati a un coro singolo e qui presentati: il contrappunto imitativo con cui essi prendono avvio si scioglie spesso infatti in passaggi antifonali, i quali, col concorso dell’inclusione non infrequente di forme di ritornello, sembrano preannunciare luminosamente, fra giochi di timbri e spazialità sonore, lo stile concertato del Barocco nascente. 훿 Diego Procoli
Translation: Diego Procoli
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Salvator noster, dilectissimi Salvator noster, dilectissimi, hodie natus est: gaudeamus! Neque enim fas est locum esse tristitiae, Ubi natalis est vitae: quae, consumpto mortalitatis timore, Ingerit nobis de promissa aeternitate laetitiam, alleluia. Stephanus autem plenus gratia Stephanus autem plenus gratia et fortitudine, faciebat prodigia Et signa magna in populo, alleluia. Maximum hoc omnium Maximum hoc omnium mutue dilectionis est argumentum, Christus eum penderet in cruce huie potissimum matrem suam Commendavit ad eam conversus: Mulier (inquit), Ecce filius tuus. Et ad illum: Ecce mater tua, alleluia. Innocentes pro Christo Innocentes pro Christo infantes occisi sunt, ab iniquo rege laetentes Interfecti sunt: ipsum sequuntur Agnum sine macula, et dicunt semper: Gloria tibi Domine. O admirabile commercium O admirabile commercium! Creator generis humani, animatum corpus sumens, de Virgine nasci dignatus est: et procedens homo sine semine, largitus est nobis suam deitatem.
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Tribus miraculis ornatum diem Tribus miraculis ornatum diem sanctum colimus: Hodie Stella Magos duxit ad praesepium Hodie vinum ex aqua factum est ad nuptias Hodie a Joanne in Jordane Christus baptizari voluit, ut salvaret nos, alleluia. Bonum certamen certavi Bonum certamen certavi, cursum consummavi, fidem servavi. Ideo reposita est mihi corona justitiae. Hodie beata Virgo Maria Hodie beata Virgo Maria: et Simeon, repletus Spiritu Sancto, accepit eum in ulnas suas, et benedixit eum in aeternum. Ave Maria Ave Maria gratia plena, benedicta tu in mulieribus Et benedictus fructus ventris tui Jesus. Sancta Maria, Regina coeli, dulcis et pia, O Mater Dei ora pro nobis peccatoribus Ut cum electis te videamus. Haec est dies Haec est dies, quam fecit Dominus: exsultemus et laetemur in ea, alleluia. Ego dormivi et somnum caepi et resurrexi quoniam Dominus Suscepit me, alleluia.
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Sancti et justi Sancti et justi in Domino gaudete, alleluia. Vos elegit Deus in haereditatem sibi, alleluia.
Ego sum panis vivus Ego sum panis vivus qui de caelo descendi: si quis manducaverit Ex hoc pane vivet in aeternum, alleluia.
Cumque beatissimus Marcus Evangelista Cumque beatissimus Marcus Evangelista detentus suisset in carcere, elevatis sursum ocuis clamavit et dixit: Domine Deus, tibi commendo spiritum meum, alleluia.
Puer qui natus est Puer qui natus est nobis, plus quam propheta est Hic est enim de quo Salvator ait: Inter natos mulierum non surrexit major Joanne Baptista.
Ascendens Christus in altum Ascendens Christus in altum, captivam duxit captivitatem, dedit dona hominibus, alleluia.
Tu es Petrus Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam Et porte inferi non praevalebunt ad versus eam.
Hodie Spiritus Sanctus Hodie Spiritus Sanctus in igne discipulis apparuit et tribuit eis Charismatum dona: misit eos in universum mundum praedicare Et testificari: qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit salvus, alleluia.
Beata Elisabeth Beata Elisabeth quam mater Domini visitavit Ut Joannes in utero suo, Spiritum Sanctificationis aecipiens Praecursoris officium inchoaret.
O Adoranda Trinitas O adoranda Trinitas, o veneranda Unitas, o perfecta Deitas Tibi laus tibi gloria tibi gratiarum actio in sempiterna saecula.
Maria unxit pedes Jesu Maria unxit pedes Jesu et extersit capillis suis: et domus impleta est ex odore unguenti.
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Mauro Marchetti Born in 1963, Mauro Marchetti studied harp at the ‘Santa Cecilia’ Conservatory in his native Rome. He has performed both as a soloist and in duos and trios with singers and instrumentalists, and in such orchestras as the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the Orchestra of Opera di Roma. He studied Choral Conducting with many teachers, amongst them Paolo Lucci, Gerhard Schmidt Gaden, Gary Graden and Stojan Kuret. He has conducted several vocal and instrumental groups and since 1992 has been the conductor of the Città di Roma Choir in Rome, a mixed polyphonic choir that has performed all over Europe and abroad. Under his direction the choir has won many first prizes and special jury prizes in national and international competitions. He is also conductor of the Modus Ensemble, a vocal group specialising in early and contemporary music. He has conducted the world premieres of works by Ennio Morricone, Michele Josia, Javier Busto, Piero Caraba, Andrea Basevi, Lorenzo Donati and Manolo Da Rold, as well as Italian and European premieres by Eric Whitacre and Benjamin Britten.
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He is an elected member of the artistic committee of the FENIARCO (National Federation of Regional Choral Assocations in Italy). He has frequently served as a jury member for composition and choral performance competitions and has taught a number of courses in choral conducting and composition. He currently holds a teaching position at the Conservatory of Music of Reggio Calabria. He was awarded Best Choir Conductor at the Varna International (Bulgaria) and Polifonico Guido d’Arezzo (Italy) choral competitions.
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Modus Ensemble Modus Ensemble is a group of young musicians performing in a variable line-up in order to deal with a range of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. The ensemble has appeared at international festivals in Italy with repertoire including compositions by Monteverdi, Merulo, Victoria and Palestrina. This album is their debut recording. Sabrina Cortese cantus (1–7, 9, 15, 16, 18, 20) Stefano Guadagnini altus (1–17, 19, 20) Enrico Torre quintus (1–7, 9–12, 15, 16, 20) Antonio Orsini tenor (1–7, 9–12, 15, 16, 20) Diego Procoli tenor (6, 10–12) Enrico Correggia bassus (1–5, 7, 9–12, 15, 16, 20) Sabrina Cortese
Stefano Guadagnini
Enrico Torre
Mauro Marchetti conductor Jasmina Capitanio viola da gamba (1–10, 12–15, 17–20) Luca Marzetti violone (1, 2, 4–7, 9, 10, 15, 20) Federico Torris organ (1, 2, 4, 5, 9) Roberto Caravella theorbo (3, 7, 8, 10–20)
Diego Procoli
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Antonio Orsini
Enrico Correggia
Recording: 13 December 2014, San Rocco all’Augusteo, Rome, Italy; 30–31 January 2015, San Silvestro (Tivoli), Rome, Italy & 15 March 2015, San Giuseppe da Copertino, Rome, Italy Sound engineer, editing & mixing: Alessio Odierna Performing edition: Edidit Jacobus Bastian, American Institute of Musicology, 1971 & 훿 2016 Brilliant Classics
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