Selva di varie composizioni d’intavolatura per cimbalo et organo

Featuring

Francesco Cera
Bernardo Storace

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Instruments

The harpsichord used on this recording is a copy of an instrument attributed to Bartolomeo Cristofori, from the collection of Prince Ferdinando de' Medici.

Compositional Technique

Storace's 'Selva' is a collection of variations on popular themes of the time, also including courantes, toccatas, canzonas, ricercari, and a pastorale.

Compositional Technique

Bernardo Storace's music features original elements like unprepared dissonances, augmented intervals, and syncopated rhythms, with some sections evoking Spanish flamenco.

Compositional Technique

In the 'Passagagli sopra A la mi re', Storace varies a descending tetrachord (A G F E) ninety-eight times, exploring rhythmic and harmonic figurations without modulating, unlike Frescobaldi.

Composer Biography

Bernardo Storace, the composer, is known only through his one published work, 'Selva di varie compositioni d'intavolatura per cimbalo ed organo', which identifies him as vice Chapel Master of Messina.

Historical Context

Repeated earthquakes in Messina, where composer Bernardo Storace was vice Chapel Master, destroyed any historical records about his life and work.

Composition History

Bernardo Storace's 'Selva di varie compositioni' was printed in Venice in 1664, a major publishing center at the time, but it lacks an editor's name or a dedication.