Dalla Gostena: Genus cromaticum. Organ Works (1599)

Featuring

Irene De Ruvo
Giovanni Battista Dalla Gostena

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Composer Biography

Dalla Gostena was ordained a priest and served as Kapellmeister at San Lorenzo Cathedral in Genoa from 1584 until 1589, when he was dismissed.

Composer Biography

Giovanni Battista Dalla Gostena, a significant Genoese composer, studied in Vienna with the Flemish composer Filippo de Monte, a master of polyphonic technique.

Composition History

Dalla Gostena's 25 fantasias and 3 French chansons were published posthumously in 1599 by his nephew Simone Molinaro, six years after Dalla Gostena's death.

Compositional Technique

Dalla Gostena's musical language is characterized by surprising and inventive chromatic passages, often moving outside the rules of Renaissance counterpoint.

Instruments

The album features a 1565 Graziadio Antegnati organ, built for the private chapel of Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga in Mantua, which retains its original meantone temperament.

Composer Biography

Giovanni Battista Dalla Gostena was killed in Genoa in 1593 under unclear circumstances, after a prolific eleven-year career.

Interpretation

Although Dalla Gostena's pieces were published for lute, their strict polyphonic style and rich dissonances are better appreciated on the organ, which clarifies the counterpoint.

Bach am Bach: Cello Suite No. 2, in D Minor BWV 1008 - Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 - Gabrieli: Ricercare - Vitali: Passa Galli - Dall'Abaco: Capriccio primo