Intavolatura di chitarone

Featuring

Jonas Nordberg
Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger

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Composer Biography

Kapsperger, born in Venice to German parents, abruptly left his education in Augsburg in 1596, with records stating 'adolescens profugus est' ('the young man has fled').

Composition History

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger's Libro primo d'intavolatura di chitarone, published in 1604, was the first-ever printed volume of solo repertoire for the theorbo.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Kapsperger, a 'nobile Alemanno' (German nobleman), consistently presented himself as someone called to music by Apollo, the god of music, despite being destined for military service.

Critical Reception

Kapsperger's toccatas, which were perhaps more theatrical and harmonically extreme than those of his contemporary Girolamo Frescobaldi, fell into total oblivion until their rediscovery in the late 20th century.

Performer Biography

Jonas Nordberg, a sought-after lutenist, performs on a wide range of plucked instruments and collaborates with contemporary composers, commissioning new works.

Historical Context

The theorbo, a plucked string instrument, emerged alongside the emancipation of solo singing from polyphonic textures and the quest for vivid musical expression in 16th-century Italy.

Compositional Technique

Kapsperger's theorbo music features strong contrasts, including dramatic toccatas, simple variations on bass lines like passacaglias, and rhythmically refined dance movements such as galliards.