[VIHUELA] Re: Foscarini Passacaglio

[Monica Hall]

The passacalles in both Guerau in "Poema harmonico" and   Santiago de 
Murcia's  in "Passacalles y obras" are all in two part.   The first part is 
in common time and the second in triple time.   It's not clear whether they 
are meant to be played continuously.

Guerau's all end with an incomplete cadence whereas Murcia's end with  a 
perfect cadence (as far as I can remember without going through and checking 
everyone individually).

All except the last two in Sanz's are in common time - and the first one in 
D major is in two parts.

Santa Cruz seems to alternate his between common and triple time.

But these are of course all Spanish.   It may reflect the fact that the 
passacalles originally was not a dance (pace the various dictionaries) but a 
refrain or interlude inserted into other dances.

Both Bartolotti's and Corbetta's are in a continuous sequence modulating to 
the next key at the end.....

Complex issue here.

Monica

P.S. I don't know what other people think but I would it easier if you put 
your comments at the beginning of each message.    Bot if everyone else 
thinks differently I'll put mine at the end too.   Is there any "netiquette" 
to this?






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stuart Walsh" <s.wa...@ntlworld.com>
To: "Monica Hall" <mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk>
Cc: "Vihuelalist" <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 11:29 PM
Subject: Re: [VIHUELA] Re: Foscarini Passacaglio



A few more thoughts on the passacaglia.

I spent a bit more time looking at Foscos passacaglie and of course he 
does
make a distinction between the passacaglia which is in a minor key and
ciaccona which is in a major key.   The same distinction is made by 
Corbetta
in his 1643 book although it is not so clear as the pieces aren't
individually titled.   Gallot - who copied most of them does rather 
inconsistently label them either passacaglie or ciaccona.  Bartolotti 
just refers to all his as Passacaglie on p.1 apart from the Ciaccona on 
p. 49.

Not sure what that proves but it seemed interesting.

Cheers

Monica

Another thing about some of the later passacaglie of Fosco's is the fact 
that they are in two parts (I mean Part 1 - set of variations followed by 
Part 2  - more variarions).  Does any other composer do this with the 
passacaglio? Given that the passacaglio is variations over a chord 
sequence what could make Part 2 different from just another Passacaglio in 
that key? What is it in Part 1 that is extended in Part 2? But Fosco does 
this with at least one Toccato too. It must be some rhetorical thing or 
other?


Stuart

----- Original Message ----- From: "Stuart Walsh" <s.wa...@ntlworld.com>
To: "Vihuelalist" <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Sunday, January 03, 2010 11:02 AM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Foscarini Passacaglio


On the ning site Monica wrote: 'Passacalles literally means "pass 
through
the streets".' Interesting. And so you could be passing through the
streets purposefully or perhaps just meandering about.At the beginning 
of
his book (his collected works, as it were) Foscarini gives the 
'Passacalli
sopra tutti le lettere' which seem to be just four bars with four chords
(not starting on first beat of bar). And, more or less, that's how most
passacalles I've ever seen are structured: a four bar scheme endlessly
repeated. (Some in the Gallot MS don't always fit, though)

But Foscarini's own examples of the passacalles don't fit this at all.
They really do seem to just meander about, always hinting at a typical
passaccalles but never quite being it. Monica has had a go at an edited
reconstruction of one in E minor. *http://tinyurl.com/y8mvxfd     (page
17) -Passacaglio Variato sopra l'+*
//
There is no (easily discernible) repeated four bar structure and no
(easily discernible) direction to the music. And it's in two parts! 
After
57 bars the first part ends and second part sort of carries on in more 
or
less the same way for another 64 bars. And it's as if Foscarini really
liked the sound and feel of certain chord changes - especially E minor 
at
second position to B minor with a g in the melody on top.

I've had a go at the first part. Technically it is not difficult piece 
but
I always manage to make a pig's ear of one bit or another and my guitar
runs out of tone in bars 16-19; it's like squeezing an orange with no
juice left. But I suspect a good player could make something of the 
piece
and the Part 2 would go yet deeper into the strange little world. Maybe
the use of repicco and trillo would spice it up a bit?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XiJS0GVT5A


Stuart



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