《Three Pieces from Il Quarto Libro Delle Canzoni__No.1》

Tarquinio Merula (1594/5-1667)

Italian composer, organist, and violinist, Merula was born in Cremona, and spent part of his youth working in Poland. Upon his return to Italy, he served in the local churches of Cremona and Bergamo until his death. Aside from sacred vocal works, Merula also composed several pieces for single instruments, a rare practice for his time. In comparison to his contemporaries, Merula had a more progressive style, particularly in his introduction of vocal music idioms into instrumental composition. His violin melodies are memorable and can be easily sung, as though they were written for the human voice, greatly adding to their appeal. By music historians, Merula has been regarded as the most outstanding and forward-looking composer of his time. A form of instrumental music popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, and derived from the Flemish chanson, the canzona features a chordal structure, simple harmony, and energetic rhythms. With these songs widespread throughout Europe in mid-16th century, many Italian composers rearranged them as instrumental pieces under the name “canzona”, the Italian for “song”. Henceforth, the term continued to denote independent instrumental works, before evolving into the sonata of the later Baroque period. Of Merula’s two published books of canzonas in 1637 and 1651 respectively, Book IV belongs to the latter group. Consisting of 28 pieces for a variety of instrumental combinations, including two violins and basso continuo, two violins, one violoncello and basso continuo, or one violin, one violoncello and basso continuo, etc. This recording consists of three canzonas written for two violins with basso continuo. The contrapuntal melody creates the sense of the two violins chasing and competing with each other, while harmonic passages requiring two violins to play in perfect unison, merging their sounds as one, further put a test to the performers’ partnership and understanding. Even though they are short and simple in form, the pieces contain the condensed musical essence of more grandeur works, demonstrating the delicate possibilities of miniatures and Merula’s superb compositional technique, representing the epitome of his art.