Federico Del Sordo, the organist and harpsichordist, teaches at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome.
Composition History
This collection of works by Giovanni Paolo Cima is dedicated to Caterina Assandra, a Benedictine nun and composer from Pavia.
Historical Context
Giovanni Paolo Cima's death around 1630, and that of the organ builder Tomaso Meiarini, may have been a consequence of the plague epidemic that scourged Lombardy.
Compositional Technique
The Ricercari in Cima's collection are mostly polythematic, using at least two subjects, or 'fughe' as they were called at the time.
Instruments
The organ used for this recording was built by Tomaso Meiarini in 1630 and is located in the Chiesa del Carmine in Brescia, Italy.
Recording & Production
The album cover features 'San Michele Arcangelo' (c.1605-10) by Giovanni Battista Crespi, an Italian painter.
Composer Biography
Giovanni Paolo Cima, the composer, was organist and chapel master at the church-sanctuary of San Celso in Milan.
