The Accademia dell'Arcadia, established in Rome in 1690, was inspired by a pursuit of new poetic simplicity and natural expressive manner, and its crest featured the flute of the pastoral god Pan.
Compositional Technique
Arcangelo Corelli's Christmas Concerto, composed around 1690, was modern for its time, not only for its concerto grosso genre but also for its pastoral finale, which incorporated old shepherds' instruments and tunes.
Composition History
Johann Sebastian Bach arranged some Italian concertos by Vivaldi and his contemporaries for solo harpsichord, including a work by Alessandro Marcello that was long attributed to his brother Benedetto.
Cultural Impact
Italy's most popular Christmas carol, 'Tu scendi dalle stelle,' which means 'You come down from the stars,' originated from Baroque Christmas pastorales and the pifferari tradition.
Historical Context
Around 1820, Pope Leo XXII decreed that the pifferari, or shepherd musicians, were not allowed to play before 4 AM at the earliest, indicating their widespread presence and sometimes disruptive nature.
Historical Context
The album explores an old Italian Christmas tradition where shepherds, known as pifferari, would come down from the hills to play instruments before Madonna shrines or cribs, receiving food, wine, and money.
Historical Context
The term 'conservatory' originates from the 'Ospedale della Pietà' in Venice, where orphaned or indigent girls were trained as musicians to earn a dowry, making these institutions the first 'music colleges'.
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