Prima le parole: Partitura de' madrigali a cinque voci

Featuring

Étienne Meyer
Les Traversées Baroques
Domenico Mazzocchi

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Composer Biography

Domenico Mazzocchi (1592-1665) was a man of the court, ordained as a priest and made a Doctor of Law in 1619, entering the service of Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini.

Compositional Technique

Mazzocchi was one of the first composers to develop a notation for interpretative nuances, using letters like P for piano, F for forte, E for echo, and T for trill, placed above musical notes.

Performer Biography

Les Traversées Baroques, founded in 2008 by Judith Pacquier (artistic director) and Etienne Meyer (musical director), is dedicated to reviving little-known early music repertoires.

Composition History

In 1638, the year these madrigals were published, Domenico Mazzocchi released no less than three different collections of polyphonic music in Rome.

Compositional Technique

Mazzocchi's 1638 madrigals contain a hidden message: a fifth voice added to the final passages conceals the music for a bucolic dialogue, 'Ninfe, gioite'.

Historical Context

The year 1638 was a significant turning point for polyphonic music, seeing the release of Monteverdi's eighth book of madrigals in Venice and Allegri's Miserere flourishing in Rome.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mazzocchi was an 'amateur' musician, meaning he was not bound by profit or service obligations, allowing him to explore theoretical issues that professional musicians ignored.