BYU-IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC PRESENTS

ENSEMBLE ARMONICO

Antonio Vivaldi

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 ~ 7:30 PM SNOW RECITAL HALL

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Antonio Vivaldi stands among the most recognizable composers of the eighteenth century. Born in Venice in 1678, he probably received his earliest musical training from his father who was employed as a violinist at St. Marks Cathedral – a historically important musical center. Even though gifted in music, Vivaldi became a priest in 1703. He carried the nickname “il prete roso” (the red priest) because of his red hair, throughout most of his life. His profession in the church was short lived, however. Asthma and other medical conditions made it difficult to officiate at church services. An early, unsubstantiated story indicates that his musical gifts may have also made church work problematic. When saying mass, Vivaldi was reported to have suddenly quit the service and to the surprise of the congregation, rushed from the altar to the sacristy to scribble down an idea for a fugue which suddenly struck the composer! Later in that same year, Vivaldi was appointed maestro di violino ai Pio Ospedale della Pietá in Venice – one of four “ospedales” or hospitals, which were charitable institutions to care for and educate orphaned or illegitimate girls. Each ospedale employed a few specialists to teach music, though only the most talented students studied with the maestro. On special occasions, the four schools combined their most talented students to perform a variety of music from the ospedale music teachers and prominent Venetian composers. These events drew large crowds and encouraged donations and endowments from businesses. The ospedale maintained such a high reputation that many wealthy families sent their daughters there for instruction. Although Vivaldi remained busy as a composer and virtuoso violinist – often absent for a year at a time – no other violin maestro was ever appointed at the Pieta. Vivaldi largely influenced the development of the Concerto. The three movement form and exchange between soloist and orchestra became firmly established within his 450+ concertos for various instruments. This form remained standard until the twentieth century. The collection of concerti “L’estro Armonico” published as Opus 3 was considered among the most important and celebrated concerto publications from the early eighteenth century, with Bach transcribing several of these. These concertos showcase a young composer at the height of his creativity. Not only does he imitate the concerto grosso model of Corelli with two solo violins and cello, he also expands the model to include four solo violins and other groups of instruments.

Dr. Tueller

ENSEMBLE ARMONICO

Dallin Hansen, Job Salazar Fonseca, Emma Rubinstein, Rebecca Roesler, baroque violin

Lisa McNiven baroque viola Robert Tueller, baroque violoncello

Aaron Miller, double bass Daniel Kerr, harpsichord

PROGRAM Concerto I con quattro violini obligati from L’Estro Armonico Op. 3 (1711) ................................................. Antonio Vivaldi 1678 – 1741

I. Allegro II. Largo e spiccato

III. Allegro Concerto in G Minor, RV 156

I. Allegro II. Adagio

III. Allegro Concerto for violoncello in G Major, RV 413

I. Allegro II. Largo

III. Allegro Concerto VIII con due violini obligati from L’Estro Armonico Op. 3

I. Allegro II. Larghetto e spiritoso

III. Allegro Concerto X con quattro violini e violoncello obligato from L’Estro Armonico Op. 3

I. Allegro II. Larghetto e spiritoso

III. Allegro

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NOTES Ensemble Armonico presents 17th and 18th century music with an emphasis on appropriate style and performance practice. In the last several decades, musicians have increasingly focused on how music may have sounded in its own time period. A wealth of historical information exists on the performance conventions of the time. From these writings we discover stylistic considerations such as articulation differences of the bow; how un-indicated dynamic changes could be applied; embellishment and ornamentation; tempos and the sparing use of vibrato. A more direct way to approach baroque music is by using instruments patterned after 17th and 18th century examples. While visually resembling their modern counterparts, the string instruments of the time used different fittings and bows, resulting in a much lighter and more transparent sound. Plain sheep gut was the preferred material for strings until the early 20th century. Gut strings produce a softer, sweeter, and more colorful sound, compared to modern steel strings. Even though metal string technology was used in harpsichords and other instruments of the time, violinists preferred gut for its sound quality, accepting the negative effects of temperature and humidity changes on tuning and stability – particularly felt in our desert climate. Baroque string instruments use a flatter neck and bridge angle resulting in less string tension. This produces a gentler, more resonant sound, which reacts in a reverberant performance venue. You may also notice several obvious visual differences in baroque string instruments -- the lack of endpin for cello and the lack of chin and shoulder rest for the violin. Our performers use baroque bows patterned after existing historic examples from the early 18th century. These bows are lighter, shorter, and have a slight outward curve resulting in characteristic baroque articulation -- a strong, quick down bow and a light, softer up bow, meant to emphasize the inequalities of strong and weak beats. The organ uses pipes to produce tone as air is directed though them. Pipes are constructed of both wood and metal resulting in a variety of tone colors. Our baroque style organ used a mechanical “tracker” mechanism instead of electronics to route air directly to each pipe as the keys are depressed. Prior to the discovery to electricity, organists required at least one assistant operating bellows to maintain the required air pressure. Now, most modern organs, including our historic instrument employ an electric blower.