The album's cover art features 'The Concert', a painting from the first half of the 17th century by Aniello Falcone, depicting the type of ensemble heard on this recording.
Compositional Technique
This album features a variant of the trio sonata for one high-pitched instrument, one bass instrument, and continuo, where the melody instrument plays a more virtuosic, solo role.
Instruments
The continuo part was performed on an organ built in 1509 by Mastro Paolo Pietro di Paolo di Montefalco, housed at the Complesso Museale di San Francesco in Trevi, central Italy.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dario Castello's style, as promised by its title, still sounds very 'modern' for its time, especially when paired with Girolamo Frescobaldi's works.
Instruments
The bass violin, the lowest instrument in the violin family, was the most common bass string instrument in 17th-century Italy and is the ancestor of the cello.
Historical Context
The ensemble used in this recording, featuring a cornetto and bass violin accompanied by a harpsichord, was a very common setup in the 17th century, as depicted in Aniello Falcone's painting 'The Concert'.
You might also enjoy...
Music at the Habsburg Court
Bach's Roots. Early Influences on the Young Master
Europa Cantat
Telemann from the Estonian Baroque Soloists / Grigori Maltizov
Per Monsieur Pisendel 2
La sacqueboute: Works by Castello, Ortiz, Falconieri, Morales, Schein, Scheidt, Schütz & Merula
