Saturday, 27 October, 9.30, p.m. 
Church of São João Evangelista (Colégio) 

Roberto Antonello, organ 

Giovanni Gabrieli, the four hundredth anniversary of whose death we are commemorating, was organist of St Mark’s Cathedral in Venice. Known for his grand instrumental music, which makes extensive use of polychoral writing, he reached his highest point in the Sacrae Symphoniae. The works for organ are not numerous, especially when compared with the output of his uncle, Andrea, or with Claudio Merulo. The Toccata which opens the concert begins with a slow ascending scale. This austere atmosphere rapidly gives way to the diminutions which increasingly animate the virtuosic elements until the piece’s last section, in which rapid simultaneous figuration in contrary motion make up the climax. There follows a Fugue (in reality it is a movement in imitative style), almost playful in character, and quite fast, and confirming the autonomy now reached by different genres of organ music, alongside those which have clear origins in instrumental music, such as the Canzona La Spiritata, in which the imitation of wind instruments and polychorality are easily recognizable elements. 

Leaping half a century forwards, we come to the solo concerto, represented here by the famous Concerto in D minor by Alessandro Marcello. It was arranged for organ by Bach, who was very familiar with the forms and styles of the time. Through transcriptions of Vivaldi’s violin concertos (with references to Legrenzi and Corelli) and his study copies of works by Grigny and Couperin, Bach acquired the technical and expressive means that he would employ in his mature compositions. The partita Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig allows one to appreciate this variety: duos, trios or basse de trompette are mixed with variations of a more intimate character, in which the brilliant sonority of the organ alternates with others, smoother and more neutral, which recall, in their writing too, the harpsichord and the clavichord in domestic use.

Benedetto Marceloo, brother of Alessandro, was the author of a significant number of sonatas for keyboard instruments. Under the general designation of “sonata” are found various forms (fugue, jog), though they are in the main monothematic, bipartite works. Such construction lends itself to ornamentation and to the performance of the repetition with different registrations.

The Prelude and Fugue in C minor by Johann Sebastian Bach are characterized by a strong tension created by both the tonality and modulations to distant keys. The alternation of the opening chords, at the distance of an octave, vaguely suggests renaissance polychorality, in contrast with melodic elements (suspirans) and harmonic elements (progressions) typical of the baroque period. Contrasting elements are not limited to these, since, after the opening, we are presented with a counterpoint of binary and ternary rhythms. The fugue, in grave style, is built using the interval of the diminished seventh, in arpeggio. The density of the voices make of this fugue a masterpiece that celebrates polyphony, concluding with great emphasis (a redundant cadence) in the key of C major.

Roberto Antonello

Organ Recital

Giovanni Gabrielli (ca. 1555-1612)
Toccata ( Turin Tablature, 1637-40)
Fuga (Turin Tablature, 1637-40)
Canzon detta «La Spiritata» (from Girolamo Diruta, Il Transilvano, 1625)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Concerto in D minor BWV 974
(transcription of the Concerto in D minor for oboe and orchestra by Alessandro Marcello)
[Allegro]
Adagio
Presto
Partita Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig, BWV 768

Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)
Sonata in G major

Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546

Participants

Notes about the Organ

Church São João Evangelista (Colégio), Funchal

This instrument, with 1586 sounding pipes, is situated in a religious space with certain particularities. As a church typical of those belonging to Jesuit colleges, with a broad nave and quite a gentle acoustic, the organ had to be specially conceived, especially with regard to the measurements of the pipes. Thus all the pipework of the instrument has been specifically tailored to produce a full sound, and each stop produces a timbre with an individual personality, forming part of a harmonic ensemble based more on the sound of fundamentals and less on harmonics. It was also felt to be essential to give the instrument a certain ‘latin’ sonority that would favour performance of ancient music of the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese schools of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Another aspect to be taken into consideration was the need to complement the current range of organs available locally: the new organ responds in an ideal fashion to the performance of works of periods and of technical and artistic requirements that none of the 24 historic instruments of Madeira cater adequately for. It also enhances the range of organs that constitute the island’s heritage by being present in this particular religious space, as well as by existing side by side with other historical instruments. In the decision to build it for this church, not only were the issues of acoustic, aesthetic and liturgical space taken into account, but also the presence there of an important historic instrument which is currently on the list of instruments undergoing restoration.

I Manual - Órgão Principal (C-g’’’)

Flautado aberto de 12 palmos (8’)
Flautado tapado de 12 palmos (8’)
Oitava real (4’)
Tapado de 6 palmos (4’)
Quinzena (2’)
Dezanovena e 22ª
Mistura III
Corneta IV
Trompa de batalha* (bass)
Clarim* (treble)
Fagote* (bass)
Clarineta* (treble)

II Manual - Órgão Positivo (C-g’’’)

Flautado aberto de 12 palmos (8’)
Tapado de 12 palmos (8’)
Flautado aberto de 6 palmos (4’)
Dozena (2 2/3’)
Quinzena (2’)
Dezassetena (1 3/5’)
Dezanovena (1 1/3)
Címbala III
Trompa real (8’)

Pedal (C-f’)

Tapado de 24 palmos (16’)
Bordão de 12 palmos (8’)
Flautado de 6 palmos (4’)
Contrafagote de 24 palmos (16’)
Trompa de 12 palmos (8’)

Acoplamentos

II/I
I/Pedal
II/Pedal

* horizontal reeds