Composer: Raphael Courteville, William Croft, Giovanni Battista Draghi, George Frideric Handel, Nicola Francesco Haym, Nicola Matteis, Johann Christoph Pepusch, Henry Purcell, John Weldon
Performer: Philippa Hyde, Parley of Instruments
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Catalogue: CHAN0776
Release: 2011
Size: 1.22 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Draghi: Romulus and Hersilia
01. Where art thou, God of Dreams?
Draghi: Sonata in G minor
02. I. Adagio
03. II. Canzona: Allegro – Adagio – Presto
04. III. Adagio
05. IV. (Minuet)
06. IV. Vivace – Adagio
07. Purcell: Tell me, some pitying angel (The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation), Z196
08. Courteville: Creep softly, purling streams
Nicola Matteis: Suite in D minor
09. I. Preludio: Prestissimo
10. II. Fuga in fantasia: Presto
11. III. Grave: Adagio – Prestissino – Adagio
12. IV. Ground per fa la mano: Allegro
Croft: For rural and sincerer joys
13. I. Overture: Grave – Allegro
14. II. Recitative: For rural and sincerer joys
15. III. Air: Damon, for song and fight renown’d
16. IV. Ground: His arms and voice o’er all Prevail
Weldon: Suite in D minor
17. I. Overture: Slow – Brisk
18. II. Minuet
19. III. Almain: Slow
20. IV. Corant
21. V. Two in One on a Ground
Handel: Behold, where Venus weeping stands (Venus and Adonis), HWV 85 (reconstructed by P. Holman)
22. Recitative: Behold, Where Weeping Venus Stands!
23. Aria: Dear Adonis, Beauty’s Treasure
24. Recitative: Thus, Queen of Beauty
25. Aria: Transporting Joy
Pepusch: Sonatas for 2 Violins in D major, Op. 3, “Smallcoal”
26. I. Vivace
27. II. Adagio
28. III. Allegro
29. IV. Adagio
30. V. Presto
Haym: Have Mercy Upon Me, O God
31. Sonata: Largo – Andante
32. Recitative: Have Mercy Upon Me, O God
33. Aria: Wash me Thoroughly from my Wickedness
34. Recitative: Against Thee Only have I Sinned
35. Aria: Behold, I was Shapen in Iniquity
36. Aria: Thou Shalt Purge me with Hyssop
37. Aria: Thou Shalt Make me Hear of Joy and Gladness
38. Aria: Thou Shalt Open My Lips, O Lord
39. Aria: Alleluia
The late seventeenth century was a period of great change in English music. This was a time when the influences of Italian music were ever-increasing, brought to England by Italian composers such as Draghi, Haym and Matteis, and their German contemporaries Pepusch and Handel. In this new release we explore how the English composers, Purcell, Weldon and Croft, responded to Italian music and incorporated the style into their own works. The two works by Purcell, Sonata in G minor and The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation, perfectly illustrate his mastery of the Italian style. This is especially evident in the latter, which Purcell wrote in the style of an Italian cantata.
This distinctive blend of English and Italian influences also became evident in the works of many European composers in England, as they adopted the native English style and form. In fact the English legacy can be heard in the music of Draghi, Courteville, Matteis, Handel, Pepusch and Haym, almost as clearly as in the music of their English contemporaries. Draghi’s sonata is a prime example of this, it seems to have been influenced by English consort music, and its short, contrasted sections and unexpected harmonies are far removed from the sonatas composers were writing in Italy at the time.
The works on this release are performed by Peter Holman’s early music group, The Parley of Instruments, which today is recognised as one of the leading exponents of Baroque music. The Parley’s trail-blazing work in English eighteenth-century music has led to collaborations with soloists such as Catherine Bott, Crispian Steele-Perkins and Elizabeth Wallfisch. On this release, the group is joined by soprano Philippa Hyde, with Peter Holman, conductor and founder of the Parley of Instruments.