ILAMS

   I L A M S

       Newsletter No 13

 

  Summer 2002

             Iberian & Latin American Music Society


 


From your Chairman

 

I am delighted to announce that ILAMS is now a Registered Charity, number 1092749. A considerable amount of work was required to achieve this, which was mainly due to the dedication and effort of our Treasurer, David Walton. This is excellent news and will bring considerable benefits to the Society.

 

Increasing numbers of Iberian and Latin American works are now presented at concerts, from the smallest venues to the Royal Albert Hall, and the number of Hispanic works studied at Britain’s music establishments and universities is also growing. Huge amounts of Hispanic music are now available on CD, and we can feel very proud of ourselves. I would like to thank my hard working colleagues on the Council of ILAMS through this message.

 

In the following pages you will read about our musical activities, past, present and future. Of particular interest is the diversity of music and instruments to be heard; the one week Regent Hall Summer Festival 2002 and the presentation of the New Edition of the Complete Piano Works by Enrique Granados, not forgetting our second Composition Competition and, in May-June next year, the Society’s visit to Granada.

 

The discovery of new talented composers will somehow redress the balance of having lost two very significant Spanish creators this year: the 90 year old “Catalan” Xavier Montsalvatge and the 72 year old “Vizcaíno” Carmelo Bernaola. The former so well known for his piano and chamber music, and for his songs. The latter, famous mainly for his music for the cinema.                                           

                                                                                                                                               Alberto Portugheis

      

ILAMS’ Gala Concert in Sevenoaks

                                                                                                                             

On 25th May, ILAMS moved out of London to Sevenoaks, for a change of concert venue. Walthamstow Hall

School’s Ship Theatre, offered us an excellent, yet intimate hall for our Gala Concert, together with the use of their Bösendorfer Concert Grand. The school was very welcoming and the receptive audience included some quite young children, who appeared visibly attracted to the programme.        

                                                                               

The concert was opened by the notable guitarist and Council member Fabio Zanon, who played works by Eduardo Angelo, Barrios and Mignone. He created a relaxed rapport with the audience, setting the tone of the event. Fabio was followed by the distinguished soprano Marina Tafur, accompanied superbly by Council member Mark Troop. She gave us sensitive readings of songs by Granados and Garcia Lorca from Spain; Antonio Maria Valencia from her native Colombia, and not forgetting the commemoration of Montsalvatge. The musical part of the evening concluded with our Chairman, Alberto Portugheis playing piano works by Montsalvatge and Ginastera. The pieces selected were of considerable intensity, which Alberto explored to the full. Proceedings were not quite over, however, as not only had the school supplied an excellent buffet supper, but the Society had also been most kindly sponsored by Messrs. Cordorniu to a generous supply of their superb cava. ‘Con pan y con vino fuimos alegres en camino’.                                           David  Walton                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                An Overview of Spanish Keyboard Music of the 16th-18th Centuries by John A Collins

Whilst the leading composers of Spanish piano music, such as Albéniz, de Falla, Granados and Mompou are relatively well-known, their illustrious predecessors are far less so. Amongst the most played composers from the 18th century were Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) and Antonio Soler (1729-83). Scarlatti, who was born in Naples and spent his later years in Lisbon and Madrid left at least 555 sonatas for harpsichord or forte-piano. Soler was the organist at El Escorial, and left about 120 sonatas and a fandango for these instruments (not forgetting the suitability of the clavichord for many of them) as well as several lengthy Intentos. These were conceived primarily for organ along with some pieces for divided register, playable only on the organ. However, nearly 600 large-scale pieces from the 17th century by about 45 composers have survived in MSS collections. The works of Juan Baptista Cabanilles are contained in no fewer than 18 separate MSS with over 2000 small-scale Versos, which were intended for use in the Liturgy.  

Many performers and university and academy students would find it hard to name the leading Iberian composers for keyboard of the 16th and 17th centuries. There are several reasons for this; firstly very little keyboard music was published in Spain and Portugal. For instance, nothing has survived between the volume published in 1626 by Correa de Arauxo from Seville and the Seis Fugas para Clave published in circa 1773 by Juan Sessé y Balaguer, organist of the Chapel Royal in Madrid, if one excludes the Preludes by Soler printed in 1762 on separate pull-out sheets with the treatise Llave dela Modulación. Many titles listed in the inventory of the library of John IV of Portugal were lost when the Royal Library was destroyed by the earthquake in Lisbon in 1755. In addition many other pieces which were announced, may have never been printed. Secondly it is almost impossible to obtain many of those titles which actually have been published in modern editions, the smaller Spanish Publishing Houses simply not dealing with the larger wholesalers. The best Anthology of Spanish pieces, edited in 3 volumes by Barry Ife and Roy Truby, was published in England by Oxford University Press in 1986 is now lamentably out of print, as is the 3 volume set edited by James Dalton in 1987 forming part of Volumes 4 to 6 of the Faber Early Organ series. 

One of the major problems of interpretation confronting the performer of the earlier repertoire is that of adding the ornamentation which is not shown in the musical text. This subject is covered comprehensively in the treatise published in 1565 by Tomás de Santa María, where it is confirmed that such ornamentation was considered obligatory. However, the English translations in Volume 1 of the Ife & Truby Anthology and in an Anthology of Early Keyboard Methods collected by Barry Ife and Barbara Sachs and published by Gamut Publications Cambridge in 1981 are out of print. Facsimiles of the original have been published, but are extremely expensive, apart from which a fluency in 16th century Spanish is obviously required. The lengthy introduction covering this point along with many others by Correa de Arauxo in his Facultad Orgánica, published in 1626 has not been included in the modern edition of the 69 pieces; I am not aware of any English summary being accessible and in print. Another major interpretational problem is that of the Proportional Notation used in triple-time sections; normally the 3 minims in these sections could equal one in the preceding section, but there are many exceptions to this, musical considerations taking prime importance over theoretical comments. Idiomatic performances of this repertoire are not surprisingly rare.

The leading composer of the 16th century was Antonio de Cabezón, (1510-66), who accompanied Philip II to Winchester to play for the latter’s wedding to Mary Tudor. His works were published in 2 books; in the Libro de Cifra Nueva published by Venegas de Henestrosa in 1557 and in the posthumous collection published in 1578 by his son Hernando, as Obras de Música. These two collections are  important as they also contain a compendium of the styles prevalent in Spain at this time including Tientos, Diferencias (variations on popular songs), Versos for Liturgical use, and highly ornamented settings of Flemish songs. There is still no complete edition of his works available, which is a pity.

 

A leading school of composers flourished in the North East region based in Zaragoza, including Sebastián Aguilera de Heredia circa 1565-1627, José Jiménez circa 1601-72, Andrés de Sola circa 1634-96, and Pablo Bruna circa 1611-79 organist at Daroca. These composers wrote several pieces for the concept of “Medio Registro”; on Spanish and Portuguese instruments during the 16th century they access different tone colours on just one manual, which was normally divided between middle c and c#. The solo could be played on the trumpet stop, or on the corneta, which had 6 or 7 ranks normally on Iberian instruments as opposed to the Northern European 5 ranks, or on a combination of stops chosen from the same family. The Medio Registro pieces may include imitative sections, but these would be followed by highly virtuoso writing for the solo voice, over slower moving accompaniment defining the harmonic progression. The Tiento Lleno required the same stops to be drawn for both halves of the keyboard and was frequently similar to the Ricercar or Fugue in its imitative writing. A few pieces were subtitled “Sin Paso” and were much closer to the Toccata in conception. Quieter pieces intended to be played during the Communion were entitled Tientos de Falsas, the “False” notes being discords and suspensions in the Italian manner. A further type of piece cultivated in Iberia was the Batalla, which frequently contained trumpet calls and general noises of battle! Many pieces finished with a section in 3/2, often containing cross-rhythms with 6/4. Another rhythmic device favoured was to subdivide the 8 quavers in 4/4 into 3+2+3.

 

Francisco Correa de Arauxo, who was organist in Seville for most of his life, published in 1626 an excellent selection of 69 pieces in various styles, with annotations on style and performance. He also included  a very lengthy preface on matters of registration, fingering, rhythmic alterations, ornamentation, etc.

The major composer from Valencia was Juan Baptista Cabanilles (1644-1712), whose enormous output contains about 230 Tientos in all genres, around 1000 Versos and 145 Tientos. Only a few Versos are available in modern editions as these were all copied by pupils, no autograph or printed edition having been found. Many are long and very difficult, frequently exceeding the not inconsiderable technical and rhythmic demands of previous generations. There are several sets of variations on dances such as Passacalles, Folias, Xácaras and Gallardas which are equally virtuosic. There are also a few pieces entitled Tiento de Contras, which contain elementary pedal parts of long held notes; the pedals on Spanish organs consisted mainly of buttons or studs on the floor, so quick movement in the manner of the North Germans was impossible.

The music by composers of the later 18th century like Nebra, Moreno y Polo, and Mariner, is now being explored and published, but many MSS remain uncatalogued in parish churches, convents and monasteries.
                                                                                                                                                      
John Collins has been researching Iberian keyboard music for over 15 years and frequently includes examples in his organ recitals in the Chichester-Brighton area. He is a regular reviewer of scores and books for Clavichord International, Organists’ Review, and The Diapason (USA). This year he assisted Professor Uriol from Zaragoza in presenting an introduction to Spanish organ music at Cambridge University. John has also written an article on Iberian sources for the Royal College of Organists’ Yearbook 2002. He also assists their Librarian by obtaining copies of scores, and books about instruments and performance practice and would be happy to do the same for members of ILAMS.  

E-mail: johnartcollins@yahoo.com    Telephone: 01903 233117 (evenings)

 

In Concert

29 July to 3 August. Regent Hall Summer Festival 2002 275 Oxford Street, London W1 (50 meters from Oxford Circus Station) Concerts: each lunch-time at 1.05pm; evenings of 30 July, 1 and 3 August at 7pm.

 

2 September. Granados Edition Presentation & Reception at St. James’s, Piccadilly. 11am – 12.45: talk by the publisher, Yolanda Guasch of the Editorial Boileau of Barcelona and Douglas Riva, the Assistant Director of the Edition. The presentation also includes a short concert by Douglas Riva, who will play a selection of the composer’s unknown works; 1.10pm: lunch-time concert by the talented Catalan pianist, Alba Ventura which will feature extracts from Goyescas and the suite Seis piezas sobre catos populares españolas. Full details will be sent to members.

 

More CD Highlights in Retrospect

Spring has brought a bumper crop of over 50 CD releases, detailed for you on the attached list, including 3 different Alma Latina’s! Please also note the special offer for Members on the final page. As before, (B) denotes Bargain and (M), Mid-price. The review below continues from the last Newsletter:

 

Early Music

Perverse though it may seem after reading John Collins’ fascinating article, I shall start by recommending two quite different and successful approaches to the transcription of the keyboard works of de Cabezón for instrumental consort. Skip Sempe and Capriccio Stravagante take an imaginative approach, paying close attention to the music’s expressive qualities. Harmonic and melodic continuity is achieved by grouping the pieces (including some by contemporaries) into short suites. In Tientos y Glosados, Thomas Wimmer, and Ensemble Accentus adopt a leaner and more direct approach; relying less on string dominated textures they produce a brighter sound with the help of recorders. The director also wrote the informative booklet notes. Staying with the instrumental consort, La Real Cámara ingeneously recreate the lost 17th century Spanish violin repertoire in Tientos y Batallas. This is music-making of the highest calibre, notwithstanding the experimental nature of the enterprise. Barroco español is a bargain double-disc compilation from previous releases by the ensemble Al Ayre Español, featuring the expressive soprano of Marta Almajano. They have created an absorbing programme of villancicos, cantatas, zarzuelas and xacaras, peppered with instrumental pieces, which Lopez Banzo directs with great flair. This release is most enjoyable and would suit the collector and casual buyer alike. The label K617 has issued a series of recordings exploring Baroque music in the New World. In Mission, Gabriel Garrido directs his musicians with great distinction, providing an entertaining conspectus of opera, zarzuela and the Mass, as they may have been performed in the Jesuit mission, at San Francisco Xavier, Bolivia. Served up with this rich diet, it is understandable how the native population fell under the spell of Baroque charms (and continue to perform this music as a living tradition). Staying with the missions, Piotr Nawrot has recorded two volumes of Baroque Music from the Bolivian Rainforest. Despite some rough edges, the recordings succeed in capturing the distinctive atmosphere of these live performances. The discs are only available on the web.

 

Chamber

The Cuarteto Latinoamericano take a break from their usual repertoire and with a dash of double bass, piano and psaltery, indulge themselves in a nostalgic trip back to the dancehalls of Valses Mexicanos 1900. Taking the piano originals, they have arranged them delightfully for a typical ensemble of the time. Many of the composers and their Viennese-styled waltzes have been long forgotten, but several pieces by Rosas and Tolentino are occasionally performed. The enterprising Albany label has issued a disc of historic and authoritative recordings by the Brazilian String Quartet. It contains an affectionate tribute to Gnattali, who accompanies the Quartet on the piano in his 4 Nocturnes. This is contrasted by the more serious musings, by Guerra-Peixe and Villa-Lobos in two of their quartets, numbers 2 & 16 respectively. The remastered sound is excellent. Encantamento by Guarnieri provides the title to the third disc from the Brazilian Guitar Quartet. The bell-like clarity of the textures and the musicians’ unforced virtuosity are vital ingredients to the success of their idiomatic transcriptions. Miranda’s inventive Serious Variations, contrast Santoro’s jazzy Frevo and delightful miniatures from Mignone and Oswald. The Quartet rounds off the recital with an ambitious arrangement of Guarnieri’s second string quartet. We return to Spain with two contrasting discs of trios. In their debut disc, the Trio Bernaola perform an ambitious programme of specially commissioned works, from the new generation of Basque composers. These musicians have carved out a considerable reputation in the clarinet trio repertoire, which is evident from this disc, as they blend inspired solos with integrated ensemble work. The composers may be new to some, and there is much that is challenging, but the music is ultimately very involving and rewarding. The fine Trío Arbós, present the world première recording of Turina’s Piano Trio in F of 1904, written in his pre-Hispanic style. It is an interesting piece, which has been enterprisingly coupled with the two numbered trios and the Fantasy Trio, Círculo. The performances on this well-filled Naxos disc are of a high standard, and can be strongly recommended.                                                                                                                         Ray Picot, Editor