Cavazzoni: Complete Organ Music Federico del Sordo, Nova Schola Gregoriana & Alberto Turco

• Girolamo Cavazzoni (1525 - 1577):
• 1 Cavazzoni: Recercar Primo 05:10
• 2 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Christe Redemptor Omnium 02:25
• 3 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Ad Coenam Agni Provide 02:05
• 4 Cavazzoni: Recercar seconda 05:13
• 5 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Lucis Creator Optime 02:18
• 6 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Ave Maris Stella 02:32
• 7 Cavazzoni: Recercar Terzo 05:52
• 8 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Veni Creator Spiritus 01:59
• 9 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Exultet Coelum Laudibus 01:52
• 10 Cavazzoni: Recercar Quarto 04:48
• 11 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Pange Lingua Gloriosi 02:32
• 12 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Iste Confessor 02:18
• 13 Cavazzoni: Canzon Sopra I Le Bel E Bon 02:19
• 14 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Iesu Nostra Redemptio 02:05
• 15 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Iesu Corona Virginum 02:06
• 16 Cavazzoni: Canzon Sopra Falt D'argens 02:39
• 17 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Deus Tuorum Militum 02:14
• 18 Cavazzoni: Hymnus Hostis Herodes Impie 01:43
• 19 Cavazzoni: Magnificat Primi Toni 07:27
• 20 Cavazzoni: Magnificat Ottavi Toni 07:18
• 21 Cavazzoni: Magnificat Quarti Toni 06:36
• 22 Cavazzoni: Magnificat Sexti Toni 07:08
• 23 Cavazzoni: Missa Apostolorum - Kyrie 07:27
• 24 Cavazzoni: Missa Apostolorum - Gloria 09:12
• 25 Cavazzoni: Credo Cardinalis 11:04
• 26 Cavazzoni: Missa Apostolorum - Sanctus 02:20
• 27 Cavazzoni: Missa Apostolorum - Agnus Dei 01:44
• 28 Cavazzoni: Missa Dominicalis - Kyrie 06:30
• 29 Cavazzoni: Missa Dominicalis - Gloria 08:27
• 30 Cavazzoni: Credo Dominicalis 10:07
• 31 Cavazzoni: Missa Dominicalis - Sanctus 02:15
• 32 Cavazzoni: Missa Dominicalis - Agnus Dei 01:52
• 33 Cavazzoni: Missa De Beata Virgine - Kyrie 05:59
• 34 Cavazzoni: Missa De Beata Virgine - Gloria 09:56
• 35 Cavazzoni: Missa De Beata Virgine - Sanctus 02:36
• 36 Cavazzoni: Missa De Beata Virgine - Agnus Dei 02:22
• 37 Cavazzoni: Ricercare 06:34
• 38 Cavazzoni: Recercar 02:24
• Total Runtime 02:51:28

Info for Cavazzoni: Complete Organ Music

The most comprehensive collection of organ music by a major forerunner to Monteverdi, recorded on a historically significant instrument by an organist with a distinguished catalogue of 17th-century repertoire.

Born in northern Italy around the turn of the 16th century – no more precise data is available – Girolamo Cavazzoni became organist of the cathedral in Mantova in 1621 and soon after entered the service of the Gonzaga family whose lavish artistic patronage sponsored and encouraged many of the finest Italian composers of the day. During his Mantuan years Cavazzoni taught the organ to Costanzo Antegnati (1549–1624), son of the organ builder at S Barbara, Graziadio Antegnati. Costanzo's L'arte organica (Brescia, 1608) recalls Cavazzoni as ‘Hieronimo d'Urbino già mio honorato maestro’.

In 1565–6 he supervised the building of the organ in the church of S Barbara, Mantua, and also played the organ there at Mass. This is the very instrument played by Federico Del Sordo, lending his recording a unique authenticity and powerful sense of place and time. The restoration of the single-manual Santa Barbara organ (1995-2006) was undertaken by Giorgio Carli with the aim of returning the instrument to its original pristine state as far as possible, rather than extending or ‘improving’ it, and thus the colours of the instrument closely resemble those with which Cavazzoni was familiar.

Much of the music here was written for liturgical performance in the alternatim fashion, whereby verses of the Mass text, the Magnificat or an antiphon are alternatively played and embroidered by the organ and then chanted by a choir. Federico Del Sordo draws on two original volumes, printed in Venice in the 1540s, plus a pair of ricercars to be found in multi-authored collections of the time. Together they build a portrait of a composer as stylish as he was pragmatic.

"Valerio Losito and Federico Del Sordo deliver very fine performances which convincingly bring out the characteristics and qualities of Tessarini's sonatas." (Musica dei donum (Tessarini, 94787)

"Federico del Sordo’s playing is entirely appropriate to the historic style and the nature of the contrasting moods of the pieces." Early Music (Antegnati, 95628)

"stunningly realised in liturgical reconstructions... a magnificent tribute." Choir & Organ (Merulo, 95145)

"Del Sordo plays this with brisk articulation and fast tempos... I’d like to hear more from Del Sordo." (American Record Guide (Bonelli, 95816)

Girolamo Cavazzoni was the son of the composer Marco Antonio Cavazzoni. He was organist at the Cathedral of Mantua and was employed at the court of Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga. Moreover, he supervised the construction of the new organ in the Basilica Palatina di S. Barbara built by Graziadio Antegnati in 1565, the instrument used for this recording.

Girolamo Cavazzoni’s works largely consist in the two volumes of tablature: the Libro primo, which was printed in Venice in 1543 by Bernardino Vitali, and the organ tablatures comprising the «Misse, Himni, Magnificat» that make up the Libro secondo.

This 3-album set presents the complete organ works by Cavazzoni, a collection of Recercars and Canzones, the instrumental music alternating with the appropriate liturgical choral Hymns and parts of the Mass.

Played on the historical 1565 Antegnati organ, the information and specifications of which are included in the booklet. Performed and sung with total dedication and deep knowledge of the style by organist Federico Del Sordo and the Nova Schola Gregoriana conducted by Alberto Turco, who already successfully recorded similar repertoire for Brilliant Classics: Organ Alternatim Masses by Merulo and Salvatore, keyboard works by Antegnati, Vendi, Corradini and Bonelli.

The scholarly liner notes in the booklet are written by Federico Del Sordo.

Federico del Sordo, organ
Nova Schola Gregoriana
Alberto Turco, conductor

Federico Del Sordo
organist and harpsichordist, has long devoted himself to performance of the Italian alternatim repertoire: he has recorded for Brilliant Classics the complete Masses of Claudio Merulo (95145), the three Masses of Giovanni Salvatore (95146), as well as the entire Magnificat cycle by Giovanni Battista Fasolo.

He is a professor at the S. Cecilia Conservatoire and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, both based in Rome. Appearing regularly at major international events, Nova Schola Gregoriana of Verona has made a name for itself among scholars for its meticulous attention to musicological detail. The group has toured widely in Japan, the United States, Brazil, Spain, Belgium, Hungary, Russia, Greece, Croatia, Germany and Mexico. Members: Nicola Bellinazzo, Andrés Montilla Acurero, Gennaro Becchimanzi (soloist), Marco Repeto, Mariano Zarpellon.

Alberto Turco
has directed the Cappella Musicale of Verona Cathedral and the Istituto Diocesano di Musica Sacra in Verona since 1965. He has taught music at the Seminario diocesano in Verona, Gregorian chant at the Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra in Milan, and liturgical musicology at the Studio Teologico San Zeno in Verona. As an editor he specializes in Gregorian palaeography and liturgical editions of Ambrosian chant, publishing the l’Antiphonale Missarum Simplex (2001), the Antiphonale Missarum of the schola (2005) and the new edition of Psallite Domino, in Gregorian chant, with the simpler melodies for the liturgy in Latin. At present his publishing activities focus on the analysis and rhythmical interpretation of Gregorian melody. Forthcoming releases include a recording of the entire Kyriale Romanum and the Liber Gradualis, iuxta ordinem Cantus Missæ, with magis critica restoration of the melodies.

Booklet for Cavazzoni: Complete Organ Music