Saturday, 17 October, 9.30, p.m. 
Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Machico) 

The golden age of organ music in the Iberian Peninsula was during the 16th and 17th centuries, from Cabezón and Carreira to Araújo and Cabanilles. Influenced initially by foreign models, it is characterized by its insularity and conservatism, especially in the 17th century. At the time of the full manifestation of the baroque and its tonal language throughout the rest of Europe, it still showed clear vestiges of the renaissance, such as the fact of it being still composer according to modal theory. On the other hand, the musical dialect was highly coloured and enriched with exotic elements, such as the use of augmented triads, false relations and uncanonical treatment of dissonance, free counterpoint, associated with a rhythmic variety with sudden changes of mood from long and austere note values to frenetic dance-like rhythms, with syncopation and unexpected accentuations. The typical four-part polyphonic texture of four voices is one of the principal bases for the literature of the time. The tento, or tiento, is undoubtedly the most common genre, assuming various characters over the course of two centuries, from its most ancient form in the style of the Italian ricercare to the tiento de falsas and of meio-registo. Most of the organ music from the Iberian Peninsula was developed within the framework of the Catholic rite. The need for the creation of new repertoire had to do with, on the one hand, the fact that sung antiphons were not long enough to accompany the ritual processions, the organ being necessary to complete the moment musically, and, on the other, the practice of alternatim, the alternation of verses in plainchant in certain liturgical contexts with short instrumental verses, as is the case with the Kyrios by Manuel Rodrigues Coelho. However, there are some works built on secular themes, such as the Diferencias sobre la Gallarda Milanesa, the Canção a 4 glosada and the Corrente italiana. It is undeniable that the music was always composed as part of an intimate relationship with the instrument. Organ-building in Europe developed into specific schools and trends over the course of the history of the organ, temporally and geographically. Thus, from the end of the 16th century, organ-building in the Peninsula also began to take on its own style. Until then, it was similar to the organ-building in the rest of Europe, being closest to the Flemish style. With the exception of important churches and cathedrals, the Portuguese and Spanish organ between the 16th and 19th centuries generally had only one manual, and no keyboard. Given the limitations this imposed, the organ-builders in the Peninsula developed a means of dividing the keyboard into two parts, one to played by the left hand and one by the right, each with its own registers, this permitting the building of different colours on the same keyboard, and thus the distinction of solos within a polyphonic texture, which is what happens in the tentos de meio registo. Another typical characteristic of Iberian organ-building os the disposition of reeds placed horizontally on the facade of the instrument, facilitating the penetrating character of this kind of register, frequently used in “battle” pieces.

Sérgio Silva

Antonio de Cabezón (1510-1566)
Diferencias sobre la Gallarda Milanesa

António Carreira (c.1530-c.1594)
Canção

Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (c.1555-c.1635)
Kyrios do primeiro tom por de la sol re

Sebastian Aguilera de Heredia (c.1561?-1627)
Obra de 8º tono alto: Ensalada

Francisco Correa de Arauxo (1584-1654)
Tiento de medio registro de dos tiples de septimo tono

Pablo Bruna (1611-1679)
Tiento de 2º tono por Ge sol re ut “Sobre la letanía de la Virgen”

Pedro de Araújo (Fl.1663-1705)
Tento do 2º tom

Diogo da Conceição (Século XVII)
Batalha de 5º tom

Juan Cabanilles (1644-1712)
Corrente italiana

Carlos Seixas (1704-1742)
Sonata for organ in G major

Marcos Portugal (1762-1830)
Sonata for organ

Participants 

Notes about the Organ

Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, Machico

In the historical documentation from before the 20th century there are references to two instruments: according to historical tradition, one was given to the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição in 1499 by King Manuel, and another acquired in 1746. As regards the Manueline organ, we may deduce that it was placed within the archway above the choirstalls on the Gospel side of the sanctuary. In the 18th century, the state of this instrument must have left much to be desired, leading to the acquisition of the second instrument in 1746. The organ arrived in Madeira in 1752, with the Council of the Treasury initially contributing the cost of purchase and later the installation costs.

The recent restoration undertaken by Dinarte Machado was done with the principal objective of returning as far as possible it to its original constitution, in accordance with indications to be gleened from the pieces of the instrument during its dismantling. Thus, the restoration always proceeded from a philosophy of taking into account the specificities of the original pieces, from the configuration of the case and its polychrome decoration, to the way the registration, pipework, bellows-work and even its placement - in the sanctuary - were returned to how they were originally. As regards the composition of the stops, the split keyboard, with the reed stop in the right hand, which the organ indicated was an original feature, which indeed characterised the instrument. The original keyboard, which was found piled in a heap, and which it was possible to repair and reassemble retains the short octave, as was usual at this period. The new pipework was completed with great rigour in accordance with the characteristics of the few original pipes that had survived, compared with the actual indications and dimensions of the windchest, which was also studied and recorded in great detail.

There can be no doubt that this is one of the loveliest organs on the island of Madeira. It is one of the instruments that conserves some of the most typical features of Portuguese organ building in the 17th century. It should be stressed that the restoration work carried out on this instrument required study of considerable documentation, as well as comparison with other instruments of the period. Since no other instruments of this kind are to be found in Portugal, recourse was had to instruments from other countries for the necessary data.

Manual (C, D, E, F, G, A-c’’’)
Flautado de 12 palmos (8’)
Flautado de 6 palmos (4’)
Flauta doce
Dozena (2 2/3’)
Voz humana (c#’-c’’’)
Quinzena (2’)
Composta de 19ª e 22ª
Sesquialtera II (c#’-c’’’)
Clarim* (c#’-c’’’)

* horizontal reeds