medieval.org
LP, 1974: EMI Reflexe 1C 063-30122
CD, 2000: EMI Classics 8 26491 2
medieval.org
LP, 1974: EMI Reflexe 1C 063-30122
CD, 2000: EMI Classics 8 26491 2
2 or 3 lutes 1 gittern 2 psalteries
Lira
Recorder
The
Studio der Frühen Musik is presently engaged at the Schola Cantorum
Basiliensis in Basel participating in a new programme of specialized
study in the performance of medieval and renaissance music. A number of
students participating in this programme have cooperated in the
preparation of this recording as part of their work. Without this
cooperation, daily rehearsal for most of a year, this directorless,
spontaneous and lively performance could never be attained.
Seite 1
1. Saltarello [5:48]
2. Istanpitta Gaetta [6:15]
3. La Manfredina & Rotta [2:27]
4. Istanpitta Palamento [7:35]
Seite 2
5. Istanpitta Belicha [8:27]
6. Lamento de Tristano & Rotta [3:52]
7. Istanpitta Isabella [7:31]
8. Istanpitta Pricipio di Virtu [6:05]
STUDIO DER FRÜHEN MUSIK
Richard Levitt, Schlaginstrumente
Sterling Jones, Rebec, Fidel, Lira
Thomas Binkley, Flöte
SCHOLA CANTORUM BASILIENSIS
Alice Robbins, Fidel, Rebec
Anne Smith, Flöte
Catherine Liddell, Psalterium
Sally Smith, Psalterium
Jay Bernfeld, Fidel
Hopkinson Smith, Laute, Chitarra sarracenica
Jonathan Rubin, Laute
Paul O'Dette, Laute, Chitarra sarracenica, Cittern
Richard Glenn, Laute
THOMAS BINKLEY
LP:
Produzent: Gerd Berg
Tonmeister: Joahann Nikolaus Matthes
Aufnahmen: Basel, Münstermuseum
Coverdesign: Roberto Patelli
Titelseite: Miniatur „Spielleute mit Fidel und Cornemuse”.
Nationalbibliothek, Paris.
Fotos: Rolf Jeck, Basel
CD:
Ⓟ 1974 EMI Electrola GmbH
Digital reamastering Ⓟ 2000 by EMI Electrola GmbH
© 2000 by EMI Electrola GmbH
Aufgenommen: 14.-16.VI.1974, Basel, Münstermuseum
Produzent: Gerd Berg
Tonmeister: Joahann-Nikolaus Matthes
Titelbild: Miniatur Spielleute mit Fidel und Cornemuse,
Nationalbibliothek, Paris.
Cover-Design: Roberto Patelli
Litho: Repro Schmitz KG, Cologne
ESTAMPIE - ISTANPITTA
Instrumental Music of the Middle Ages
When
we think of the Middle Ages we often detatch ourselves from the scenes
that pass before our eyes. Depending upon our own particular background,
we may call to mind the heroes of the political world — Barbarossa, St.
Louis, Innocent III, etc., or those representing the world of the mind
— Peter Abelard, Grosseteste, Bacon, etc., or we may focus on the
masters of the world of art — Giotto, Dante, the Archpoet, etc. What we
find in this recording, however, is the personal world of some unnamed
Italian family, fond of entertaining, wealthy enough to do so well. Here
is a collection of instrumental music, part of the repertory of some
group of musicians who belonged to this unnamed household, who played in
gardens such as those of the Alberti after a manner described by
Giovanni da Prato, Simone Prodenzani, Sacchetti, Boccaccio and many
others.
The repertory contained in this record is all taken from
the single manuscript described below. No pieces similar to these are
contained in any other sources. The source presents no instruction
pertaining to performance style, choice of instruments, nor even an
indication whether these pieces are dances or simply chamber music.
We
do have some general information we can apply to these pieces in our
search for a meaningful performance style: we know the provenance of the
manuscript, the terminus ad quem for the writing of the manuscript and
we know something about the instruments of the time. We also know
something of the approach to composition and structure of the music, but
unfortunately little of dance that is pertinent here.
Our
manuscript designates these pieces Istanpitti, the Italian form of
‘Estampie’. Grocheo, writing about 1300 says that a ‘stantipe’
(estampie) is a textless piece which is divided into sections, with
difficult tonal arrangement and irregular metre, unlike the ‘ductia’.
Each section is repeated and has a different close. Most have six
sections but some have more.
The manuscript is now in London,
British Museum Additional 29987. It was written in Umbria or Tuscany in
the late 14th century (about 1396). It contains 36 Italian madrigals, 45
ballata, 8 caccia, 3 French virelais, 1 motet, 8 Latin pieces, 4
monophonic chansonette tedesche without text and 15 estampies. It is
this last genre that interests us. The eight pieces selected here are
representative of the whole group and fall into 2 categories.
The
pieces in the first category are certainly dances, for they exhibit all
the salient features of slightly later known social dances. These
include the ‘Saltarello’ and ‘Rota’ combination, the dance and
after-dance, or in Italian sources the ‘Saltarello’ and ‘Piva’. In the
manuscript all the pieces in this category are grouped together on
fol. 62-63, seven pieces not counting the Rottas, as separate group of
pieces.
Pieces in the second category may be dances or may be
instrumental chamber music. If these pieces are dances, they are a
different sort of dance from the first group involving complicated
choreography required by the irregular rhythmic and metric structures of
the pieces. These pieces are found immediately preceding the dances in
the first category, with two ballatas of Landini inserted between Belicha and Palamento. Much later in the manuscript are four ‘chansonete tedesche’ which possibly are also instrumental dance music or chamber music.
It
is important to stress that both social and professional dancing, that
is dancing for an audience, was cultivated in Italy during the Middle
Ages. In Ferrara during the early 15th century, a dancing master by the
name of Domenico of Piacenza acquired a wide reputation. One of his
pupils was Guglielmo Ebreo of Pesaro. This Guglielmo went to Florence,
where he danced and taught, and compiled a book of dances which has
survived. Some of the dances are credited to his teacher Domenico, and
two are said to have been composed by Lorenzo de' Medici. The titles of
the dances are suggestive character titles such as Jupiter or Prixionera,
the music is monophonic and involves changes of metre. The dance steps
are known and are combined to yields sort of short ballet.
And
while Florence is in mind, we ought not forget the beautiful Anna,
subject of a series of Madrigals composed by three competing young
composers, Giovanni da Cascia, Jacopo da Bologna and Piero. Anna lived
in a large and beautiful garden near a stream, and her attentions were
highly regarded. She spent her time dancing, and when she was not
dancing she rested beneath a tree which had the name ‘Palate’, and talked
with her lady friends. The governor of Florence at this time was
Mastino, who may have commissioned the works, and who may himself have
had frequent need for instrumentalists to accompany his “Anna” for her
dances, and play for guests. Seven compositions of Jacopo da Bologna and
five of Giovanni da Cascia (but none of Piero) are included in our
manuscript. Jacopo is the composer of a madrigal O in Italia felice Liguria
written for the baptism of an offspring of Visconti and his wife,
Isabella. Isabella is not an uncommon name, and it would be folly to
suggest that this Isabella has anything to do with our dance Isabella.
Still, our piece must have been written with some Isabella in mind. It
seems also farfetched to associate the tree of our virtuous Anna with
our dance Palamento (= Parlamento?), although we cannot avoid associating Jacopo's madrigals O dolc'apress un bel perlaro fiume and Un bel parlare viva sulla riva with this theme, for in both the words “Anna” are stressed in the text, and both are in our manuscript.
There
are so many questions about this repertory we can pose but not answer,
however, the main point is that these pieces constitute the repertory of
some specific ensemble that made use of these pieces to entertain
guests at soirees, either as accompaniment to trained dancers or simply
as chamber music. Whichever it is, the music is carefully composed.
The
longer compositions make use of a compositional technique quite common
in the 12th and 13th centuries, in which melodic fragments are combined
to form longer melodies. Thus some musical idea will be employed as an
opener and then extended by various fragmentary formulas which also may
recur in other pieces, seldom ever returning to the original material.
Sometimes it is clear that there is a hidden basic melody which although
unstated is apparent in analysis, and confirmed through its repetition
in varied form (e. g. Lamento di Tristano & Rotta).
A
great deal of the figuration seems to be instrumentally derived, in
other words seems to be what someone played on his instrument when
performing his version of the underlying basic melody. The relationship
of these figurations to instrumental techniques and tunings is helpful
in determining the instrumentation of the pieces.
Although many of the figurations are found in several pieces, the ranges of the pieces are not the same. The range of Belicha
for example is an octave and a seventh. This is a greater range than
many instruments of the period possessed. The recorder, for example in
that period would have been unable to play it. A shawm might have been
able to do so — we don't know. String instruments would have been able
to do so easily, but not all string instruments can conveniently
negotiate all the figurations — clearly, not all the figurations were
thought out for just any string instrument. After an analysis of all the
pieces it must be concluded that they were written for a group of
instruments the parts being reduced into a single line by writing out
the most active line, and leaving it up to each musician to make a
sensible part for himself.
What we have then is a sort of medieval orchestral music in which instruments having differing ranges and playing
techniques
combine their virtues. The basic orchestra employed here — seldom
exactly the same — employs the following instruments:
3 vielles 1 rebec 1 lira
1 flute 1 moorish guitar
1 rhythmic instrument player.
THE INSTRUMENTS
Lutes
Two
differing groups of lutes were employed during our period, the
manystringed, Arabic Ud inspired the short necked lute with large body,
quite unlike the fewerstringed, longer necked lute with small body. Both
were strung with gut strings and were played with a plectrum.
(Makers unknown)
Gittern
This
instrument occurs with rounded body in Near Eastern sources from the
9th century. The Western instrument had a flat back and was strung with
wire strings, also played with a plectrum.
(Fabrizio Reginato, Fonte Alto [Tv], Italy)
Psaltery
There
were five different types of psaltery employed during the 13th-14th
centuries in Europe. The one employed here is the large trapezoid
instrument having the most versatile characteristics. It is identical to
the Middle Eastern Qa'nun, and was called canon as well as psalterium.
It is strung with gut or silver strings and played with long picks held
in each hand.
(Maker unknown)
Vielle
This denotes a
group of bowed string instruments, from the early Middle Ages to the
16th century. Of course, during the centuries there were a great many
sorts of vielles — (each sort of music requires a particular
instrumental characteristic — and here we have three different shapes,
each somewhat different in its qualities. The instrument had from three
to five strings, including drone strings sometimes plucked by the left
hand (as in the prelude to Palamento here); Jerome of Moravia gives us several tunings which favour each a particular aspect. Played under the chin or on the leg.
(Fabrizio Reginato, Fonte Alto [Tv], Italy)
Rebec
Small, pear-shaped bowed instrument, high in tessitura. Three strings. Played off the chest.
(Eugen Springer, Frankfurt, Germany)
Robust
pear-shaped instrument of low tessitura, and played on the leg. The bow
is heavy, the strings thick. Large in sound. (Maker unknown)
Chitarra Saracenica
Long
necked lute found frequently in Western sources from the Stuttgarter
Psalter to the Cantigas manuscripts. Similar to the later Colachon and
the present-day Turkish Saz and Bagloma. The strings are of wire, and
there are at least 20 frets on the neck. The body is tiny in relation to
the string lenght.
(Maker unknown)
Timbrel
This instrument possessed a clear playing technique involving 3 distinct sounds:
1) the jingles
2) the rim
3) the head
The
instrument is held vertically in one hand, the fingers of that hand
striking the head. The rim sound is caused by striking the instrument
against the other hand or arm. Thus a common rhythm (as in Belicha) could be notated:
(A.T. Camposarcone, 49 Belsize Park Gdns, London)
During
this period the instrument had seven to eight fingerholes and a
cylindrical bore (later recorders employed a reverse-expanding bore in
order to improve response of the upper register. But it is not only the
instrument, it is the playing style that separates it from its later
relative, e. g. Prelude to Belicha.)
(Fr. von Huene, Boston USA)
Thomas Binkley
