Storace: Selva di varie composizioni d'intavolatura per cimbalo et organo, Venezia 1664

Featuring

Francesco Cera
Fabio Tricomi
Bernardo Storace

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Compositional Technique

Storace's 'Selva' is a large collection of variations, toccatas, canzonas, ricercari, and a pastorale, often based on popular themes of the 17th century.

Composition History

The only surviving copy of Storace's 'Selva' was printed in Venice in 1664 without an editor's name or dedication, as earthquakes in Messina destroyed other records of his work.

Instruments

The harpsichord used for this recording is a copy of an instrument attributed to Bartolomeo Cristofori, once owned by Prince Ferdinando de' Medici.

Instruments

The organ used in this recording, from the church of San Magno in Amelia, was built in 1680 and uniquely features two keyboards, one for the convent and one for a lay organist.

Cultural Impact

Storace's 'Pastorale' for organ imitates the style of zampognari (Italian bagpipe players) and includes melodic elements still used by them today in the Messina province.

Composer Biography

Bernardo Storace, a remarkable keyboard composer, is known only through his single published work, 'Selva di varie compositioni d'intavolatura per cimbalo ed organo'.

Interpretation

The harpsichord on this album is tuned using a 17th-century system with two perfect thirds and a series of perfect fifths, while the spinet uses pure meantone or Sicilian temperament depending on the piece.