Ruckers 1604 by Marco Vitale

William Byrd, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Martin Peerson

Marco Vitale

Ruckers 1604

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: Ayros
UPC: 5902768283013
Catnr: AYRA 01
Release date: 15 March 2014
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1 CD ✓ in stock	€ 19.95	Buy

Label
Ayros

UPC
5902768283013

Catalogue number
AYRA 01

Release date
15 March 2014

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

The virginal is a keyboard instrument with plucked strings, as in a harpsichord but usually smaller, oblong in shape, normally with only one set of strings which run parallel to the keyboard.

This keyboard instrument was called different names in various countries at different periods. The virginal recorded in this CD, or spinet to be more historically correct, was built in Antwerp in the workshop of the brothers Joannes and Andreas Ruckers. The date 1604 can be found among the painted decoration on its soundboard. The original signature has been lost together with the jack rail and rose but, from the style of this painted decoration, we can be sure that it is typical of the early period of the instruments signed by Joannes Ruckers.

The Ruckers 1604 spinet, discovered in central Italy around the year 2000, now occupies a unique place among our musical heritage, as it is the only 6 foot Ruckers spinet restored to its original sounding condition. It enables us to open a window to the once lost sound world of a glorious and unrepeatable moment in our music tradition and history.

Eine bedeutende Aufnahme, die ein einzigartiges Ruckers-Cembalo aus dem Jahre 1604 präsentiert.

Ayros Raritas ist eine Serie von Aufnahmen, die sich auf einzigartige historische Instrumente spezialisiert. Instrumente, die oft zu privaten Sammlungen gehören und von denen meist nur sehr wenige Exemplare auf der Welt existieren.

In der ersten Veröffentlichung bei Ayros Raritas steht ein original Ruckers Cembalo aus dem Jahre 1604 im Mittelpunkt. Das Instrument der Instrumentenbauerfamilie aus Antwerpen wurde im mittleren Italien im Jahr 2000 entdeckt. Es überstand auf wundersame Weise viele Jahrhunderte und wurde jahrelang in fachmännischer Kleinarbeit restauriert und wieder nutzbar gemacht.
Die Instrumente der Familie Ruckers wurden wegen ihrer Klangschönheit von hochstehenden Adeligen, aber auch von Musikern und Komponisten geschätzt. Jan Pieterson Sweelinck beispielsweise kaufte auch 1604 ein Cembalo bei Ruckers. Von ihm sowie von William Byrd und Martin Peerson spielt der Cembalist Marco Vitale Werke auf der vorliegenden Aufnahme.

Il virginale è uno strumento a tastiera a corde pizzicate, come in un clavicembalo, ma di solito più piccolo, di forma oblunga e di norma con un solo set di corde che corrono parallele alla tastiera, accordate in 8 piedi o ad una varietà di accordature più acute. Questo strumento a tastiera è stato chiamato con nomi diversi in vari paesi ed in diversi periodi.
Il virginale del presente CD, o spinetta per essere più corretti, è stato costruito ad Anversa nella bottega dei fratelli Joannes ed Andreas Ruckers. La data 1604 si trova tra le decorazioni dipinte sulla sua tavola armonica. La firma originale è andata perduta insieme alla guida dei salterelli e la rosetta, ma, dallo stile della decorazione, possiamo essere sicuri che è tipica del primo periodo degli strumenti firmati da Joannes Ruckers.
La spinetta Ruckers 1604, scoperta nel centro Italia intorno al 2000, occupa un posto unico tra il nostro patrimonio musicale, in quanto è l'unica spinetta Ruckers a 6 piedi riportata al suo stato sonoro originale. Il CD ci permette di aprire una finestra sul mondo sonoro, una volta perso di un momento glorioso e irripetibile nella nostra tradizione di musica e storia.

Artist(s)

Marco Vitale (harpsichord)

Marco Vitale was born in Palermo (Italy) in 1980. He studied piano, organ, harpsichord and composition at Palermo’s “V. Bellini” Conservatory, where he took the piano diploma in 2001 and the organ diploma in 2002 with full marks and “Cum Laude”. He took part in many international master-classes where he developed his skills and taste for baroque music. His concert life began at age of 15, with performances as a soloist and chamber musician. In 2002 he moved to The Netherlands where he studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. He took a Bachelor’s degree in organ with Jos van der Kooy and a Master in Early Music (harpsichord) with Ton Koopman. His musical activity brought him to play in the most prestigious...

Marco Vitale was born in Palermo (Italy) in 1980.

He studied piano, organ, harpsichord and composition at Palermo’s “V. Bellini” Conservatory, where he took the piano diploma in 2001 and the organ diploma in 2002 with full marks and “Cum Laude”.
He took part in many international master-classes where he developed his skills and taste for baroque music. His concert life began at age of 15, with performances as a soloist and chamber musician. In 2002 he moved to The Netherlands where he studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
He took a Bachelor’s degree in organ with Jos van der Kooy and a Master in Early Music (harpsichord) with Ton Koopman.
His musical activity brought him to play in the most prestigious venues and festivals in Europe, USA, Canada and Middle East as a soloist/continuo player or director of his Contrasto Armonico.
Marco Vitale is the co-founder and musical director of “Contrasto Armonico”, baroque orchestra specialized in the performance of music in Italian style and baroque operas, using original instruments and historical performance practices. He is currently involved in the recordings of the Complete Italian Cantatas by Handel (formerly on Brilliant Classics, now on ayros), a thrilling project that will bring light on many undiscovered jewels of Handel which are neither edited nor recorded.
He appeared in radio and TV broadcasts in Netherlands (AVRO), Germany, Austria (ORF), Spain, Poland (Polskie Radio), Italy (RAI), UK (BBC) and Syria (Syrian National Television), and he participated in recordings for Alia Vox (Rameau, L’Orchestre de Louis XV), and Naïve (Vivaldi’s Teuzzone).
In 2012 he founded his own records label ‘ayros’, featuring recordings of Contrasto Armonico, with whom is continuing the project of Handel Complete Cantatas and starting new thrilling discographic projects. In addition to performing with Contrasto Armonico he also gives master-classes about baroque music throughout Europe and Middle East. From 2008 till 2011 he worked at the Higher Institute of Music of Damascus (Syria) for an early music development project.
In 2018 he composed an opera in 17th century style, with the title of “Il ratto di Helena” on a libretto by Virgilio Puccitelli (1636). The opera was commissioned by the Palace of Grandukes of Lithuania, and performed in Vilnius in occasion of the 100 years of Lithuanian independence.
He regularly performs with Jordi Savall, ‘Le Concert des Nations & Hesperion XXI and worked as a guest conductor at Warsaw Chamber Opera.

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Composer(s)

William Byrd

William Byrd was an English composer. He was one of the greatest composers of his generation. Hiis name is sometimes spelled as Bird, Byrde, or Byred. The exact dates of his birth and death are not known, and even his place of birth (Lincoln) is merely guesswork, based on the fact that several families named Byrd lived in Lincolnshire during the 17th century. As a child, Byrd received music lessons from the renowned Thomas Tallis in the Chapel Royal in London. Byrd is part of the so-called virginalists. In 1563, he was appointed as organist of the cathedral in Lincoln, even though he must have only been around 20 years old and in 1572 he was appointed as organist of Chapel Royal together with Tallis. In 1575, again with Tallis, he received the rights to publish and sell his music by Queen Elizabeth I. In honour of the Queen, the two composers dedicated their Cantiones Sacrae in the same year.
On multiple occasions, Byrd was prosecuted in court. As a catholic, he was repeatedly prosecuted for the rejection of Anglicanism. Nonetheless, he remained in favour of the Queen, probably because he composed music for both religious branches. Moreover, he wrote both secular and sacred music, and both vocal and instrumental pieces.

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Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

If it were up to Calvinism, all the organs would have been destroyed during the Beeldenstorm, the outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th century. Thanks to city governments, the organs were saved. Strictly speaking, Sweelinck was a servant for the city government as well as the city organist of Amsterdam. His organ and harpsichord music was also used during international negotiations, making his music arguably quite influential. Sweelinck's music should not be listened to with the same ears as one listens to Bach, Beethoven or Brahms. His instrumental works have its own completely unique expression, including temporal modulations, instead of tonal ones. His toccatas, variations and fantasies often start modestly, and gradually increase in movement. Especially his fantasies are masterpieces in this regard. Take for instance his Chromatic Fantasy. The first part uses the chromaticism by alternating whole and half steps. In the second section, the theme is enlarged to a complete cantus firmus, while the embellishments increase in speed. In the third section, the chromatic theme is increased in speed as well, after which the whole work is finished with a graceful bow.

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