The Armonici entusiasmi di Davide, published in Venice in 1690, is Giovanni Battista Bassani's first printed work for the Vespers rite and is presented here as a complete recording for the first time.
Composer's Artistic Vision
For Bassani, like Monteverdi, words were the raw material for music, aiming to convey their meaning through musical metaphors and ensuring a close correspondence between verbal and musical sound.
Critical Reception
Giovanni Battista Bassani, a central figure in late 17th-century Italian music, was considered by contemporaries like François Raguenet to "fascinate all Europe with their excellent compositions."
Recording & Production
This album is a world premiere recording, based on a critical edition of Giovanni Battista Bassani's Armonici entusiasmi di Davide by Giovanni Acciai.
Compositional Technique
Bassani's Armonici entusiasmi di Davide features two main compositional procedures: a continuous invention style for psalms and a multiple-section cantata form with varied aria types, including his preferred "aria con il motto."
Compositional Technique
Bassani's music often incorporates dance rhythms, such as the Balletto, Corrente, Sarabanda, and Giga, which he had explored in earlier instrumental works.
Composer Biography
Bassani's early career included prestigious appointments as organist at the Accademia della Morte in Ferrara and as a composer for the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna, where he was named "prince" in 1682.
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