Tedeschi, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Rota & Others: Harp Music

Featuring

Liliana Safikhanova
Luigi Maurizio Tedeschi
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Nino Rota
Alfredo Casella
Elena Barbara Giuranna

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Instruments

The organ used for this recording is a Nicola Morettini organ, built in Perugia in 1893 and restored in 2011.

Historical Context

The Loreto Chapel, a major center for Marian devotion, was established under Pope Julius II in the early 16th century, with its musical organization defined by papal bulls and the institution of the Chapel Julia in the Vatican.

Critical Reception

One critic, Marco Enrico Bossi, in 1898, harshly criticized the compositions of Luigi Vecchiotti, a chapel master at Loreto, stating they had a "bad influence on the musical taste of all Loreto's people and the clergy."

Historical Context

The Loreto Chapel's musical practices were significantly shaped by the Council of Trent, which enforced rigid regulations on liturgical music, emphasizing the intelligibility of texts and Gregorian style.

Composer Biography

Andrea Basili, chapel master in Loreto from 1740 to 1777, welcomed a young Mozart during his visit to Loreto in July 1770.

Compositional Technique

The music on this album features an evolving organ accompaniment, moving from simple figured bass to a 'concertato' part where the organ plays an equal, rather than subordinate, role to the voice.

Recording & Production

This album features previously unpublished compositions by chapel masters of the Santa Casa di Loreto, dating from 1740 to 1866, preserved in the archives of Loreto and Macerata.