Diminutions

The Italian chromatic harp

Presumably in the second half of the 16th century, a type of harp was developed in Italy to enable players to meet the growing musical demands of the time. By adding one or two parallel rows of strings, the “Arpa Doppia” - a double harp - was created, which appears under this name in historical sources. This instrument was used prominently in Claudio Monteverdi’s opera “L’Orfeo” (1607), when Orpheus begs the ferryman Charon in the underworld to take him to the ruler of the realm of the dead in order to save his beloved Eurydice. However, apart from this famous ritornello, only a few compositions specifically for this model of harp have survived from the 17th century. Although the “Arpa Doppia” is listed as an accompanying instrument in several vocal collections of the time, apart from a few original solo works by the Neapolitan composers Ascanio Mayone (1570-1627), Giovanni Maria Trabaci (1575-1647) and Gregorio Strozzi (1615-1687), there are fewer than ten pieces specifically for this instrument.

It remains unclear why so little solo literature has survived, but it seems that there was not enough public interest to publish more printed music for the harp. This lack presents today’s musicians with the task of having to develop their own repertoire. Compositions for lute, organ or harpsichord are often transcribed for the harp for this purpose. Additionally, works for soprano instruments such as violin or cornett with basso continuo as well as vocal music are adapted.

In Diminutions, this lack of original compositions becomes a creative challenge: the aim was to invent a new repertoire for the Italian chromatic harp and to utilise the instrument’s special tonal and technical characteristics in order to build a bridge between the past and the present. Since four of the few surviving original works for the harp from the 17th century are diminutions or series of variations, it was obvious to choose this musical genre as the starting point for the development of a new repertoire.

Diminutions

In Renaissance and Baroque music, the term diminution refers to an improvisation technique in which longer note values are replaced by shorter, ornamental notes in order to embellish the melody and create a virtuoso effect. Unlike trills or suspensions, which decorate individual notes, the aim of diminutions is to create flowing transitions between notes and to enrich the melodic line with more complex and more agile figures.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the practice of diminution was so widespread that numerous treatises on the subject were printed. These contained standardised tone sequences for various intervals and note values, which enabled musicians to spontaneously enrich existing works with improvised embellishments. This technique was used particularly for repetitions of phrases or verses in order to give a piece more expressiveness and variation. Important musicians such as Giovanni Bassano (c. 1560-1617) and Diego Ortiz (1510-1570) published collections of their diminutions in the 16th century, which still serve as important evidence of this skilful ornamentation practice today and illustrate the technical brilliance that was expected of the performers.

Just as the virtuosos of the early 17th century used pre-existing compositions to showcase their artistic and technical skill, contemporary composers draw on the same principles in Diminutions. They present new variations in the most diverse styles of the early 21st century and thus bring the tradition of diminution into the present.

Ancidetemi pur

The Flemish composer Jacques Arcadelt (1507-1568) published his madrigal “Ancidetemi pur” in 1539 in the collection “Il primo libro di madrigali” in Venice. This four-part vocal work impressively depicts the pain of a lover who prefers death to the suffering of unfulfilled love. The clear melodic structure and emotional depth of the piece made it one of the most famous madrigals of its time.

The Italian composer and instrumental virtuoso Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643) adapted this popular work for keyboard instruments and added virtuoso diminutions and elegant embellishments. This arrangement served as inspiration for the Austrian composer Bernhard Lang (* 1957), who utilises and reinterprets the tradition of diminution in his work. In “GAME 10-4-1 Diminuendo”, Lang interweaves experimental sounds with direct quotations from Frescobaldi’s adaptation. The piece offers the performer - like in a game - various choices, so that each performance becomes unique.

Susanne un jour

“Susanne un jour” is a famous chanson by the Flemish composer Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594), which was published in 1560 in “Tiers Livre des Chansons”. The text is based on the biblical story of Susanna in the bath from the Book of Daniel, in which Susanna is unjustly accused of adultery. Lasso succeeds masterfully in emphasising the emotional depth of the text through the skilful combination of clear chordal passages and a gentle melodic line. This skilful realisation made the chanson one of the most popular works of its period.

The Portuguese composer Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (c. 1555-1635) used Lasso’s chanson as the basis for several arrangements, which he published in Lisbon in 1620 in “Flores de Musica” for keyboard instruments or harp. Coelho probably composed for the Iberian harp with crossed strings, which was widely used in Spain and Portugal at the time. The Australian-Dutch composer Kate Moore (* 1979) takes up the psychological elements of the biblical story in her composition and creates a dramatic tension that moves between hypnotic and ecstatic moments.

Est-ce Mars

The Dutch composer and organist Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621) is regarded as one of the most important musicians of the late Renaissance, particularly for his exceptional improvisation skills, which come to the fore in his numerous works for keyboard instruments. In “Est-ce Mars”, Sweelinck arranged a popular chanson by the French composer Pierre Guédron (1564-c. 1620), which thematises Mars, the god of war. While he is generally associated with destruction and unrest, the piece also shows his tender side. Sweelinck’s arrangement is characterised by virtuoso variations that artfully combine the martial and the gentle.

The German composer Malte Giesen (* 1988) used a recording of Sweelinck’s work as the basis for his composition “Neural Variations” for “Arpa Doppia” and electronics. He fed an artificial intelligence system with the audio file and generated a soundtrack with alienated elements. In addition, Giesen notated a score for the harp, which - through a loudspeaker attached to the back of the instrument - generates both electronic and acoustic sounds.

Un gay bergier

The Spanish composer, organist and music theorist Francisco Correa de Arauxo (1584-1654) dedicated his work “Libro de tientos y discursos de música práctica y teórica de órgano”, published in Alcalá in 1626, to the technique and aesthetics of organ playing. This collection contains numerous compositions, including an arrangement of the popular chanson “Un gay bergier” by Thomas Créquillon (c. 1505-1557). Créquillon’s original, published in the “Premier livre de chansons à quatre parties” (1543), vividly depicts the complicated relationship between a shepherd and a shepherdess. The text, which could be considered obscene today, was typical of its time and full of allusions to the pleasures of simple life.

In “Bucolic”, Japanese composer Chikage Imai (* 1979) explores the tonal possibilities of the Italian chromatic harp. By using neighbouring chromatic strings, reinforced by the mean-tone tuning, Imai creates complex, yet humorous sounds that reinterpret the playful character of the original.

Amarilli, mia bella

Giulio Caccini (1551-1618) was one of the most influential composers of the early Baroque period and a pioneer of monody, a musical style that characterised the transition from the polyphony of the Renaissance to the new music of the Baroque. His famous madrigal “Amarilli, mia bella”, published in 1601 in the groundbreaking collection “Le nuove musiche”, is one of the masterpieces of this era. The intimate love song is characterised by its emotional intensity and quickly became one of Caccini’s most famous works.

The English composer Peter Philips (1560-1628) adapted the piece for keyboard instruments under the title “Amarilli di Julio Romano”. This version, which was recorded in the “Fitzwilliam Virginal Book” in 1603, is characterised by virtuoso embellishments that lend the original melody a new musical depth and liveliness. In “A distant relation”, a composition by Irish composer Ian Wilson (* 1964), Philips’ arrangement serves as inspiration. Wilson takes up harmonic structures and direct quotations and utilises the dynamic possibilities of the harp as well as the deliberate use of silence to create his own world of sound. The work is intended to be like a sculpture seen from different angles; still, with almost no sense of forward movement.

Io mi son giovinetta

The madrigal “Io mi son giovinetta” by the Italian composer Domenico Ferrabosco (1513-1574) was published in 1583 in the collection “Musica divina di 19 autori illustri” in Antwerp. The text describes youthful infatuation and light-heartedness, which Ferrabosco captures through lively and melodious vocal writing. The Neapolitan composer and organist Giovanni Maria Trabaci (1575-1647) arranged this work and added virtuoso diminutions and embellishments. In 1603, he published his version, “Io mi son giovinetto”, in the collection “Ricercate, canzone francese, capricci [...]”. This version emphasises the performer’s technical skills and combines brilliant virtuosity with emotional depth.

The Colombian composer Natalia Domínguez Rangel (* 1981) picks up on the themes of youth and light-heartedness in her work “Il Matto” - the crazy one - but also shows how this energy can be lost in insecurities and mistakes. Her work contrasts between self-confidence and the inevitable doubts that characterise the path of youth.

Maximilian Ehrhardt, Berlin 2024

Recorded june 4–6, 2024

Location: Klanghaus am See, Klein Jasedow, Germany
Balance engineer & recording producer: Jonas Niederstadt
Musical concept, texts and translations: Maximilian Ehrhardt
Corporate Design: Tim+Tim, timandtim.com
Cover photography: Alexander Gehring
Booklet photography: Jonas Niederstadt


Produced by Jonas Niederstadt

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