Articulation At The Highest Level - Listen to the Music of Scarlatti and Galuppi...
Baldassarre Galuppi - a mouthful indeed; and a pretty well-forgotten composer at this point in time - and Domenico Scarlatti, who is quite the opposite, being well-remembered today.
Scarlatti preceded Galuppi by about a generation, and was one of the Great Three born in the same year(1685); namely, he, along with Bach and Handel. The pianist of today continues to be enthralled by his wonderful sonatas, about 550 in number, which he wrote for the keyboard; namely, the harpsichord, which preceded the piano, which first appeared around 1711. The matchless prescience of these compositions fits the modern piano veritably as if Scarlatti's vision allowed for him to write for an instrument yet to come - and these short pieces continue, of course, to be among the great contributions to the world of harpsichord performance.
Galuppi was well-known, primarily as a writer of comic opera, and was among the most popular musical figures of his time - what is pretty well discarded today are his keyboard works, some of which are really quite wonderful, especially in utterance of melody and harmonic taste. Why not go to YouTube and listen to examples of both composers, one well-known; the other pretty well consigned to relative obscurity?
I chose the art of finger articulation at the highest level among three giants - no crushing Lisztian passages and heroics or passages which sweep us along in the Horowitzian manner this time around.
Just sounds, essentially without pedal or overpowering dynamic events.
Listen to the magic of Michelangeli, with his quicksilver tone and marvelous control over finger motion, murmur us through the third movement of a Galuppi Sonata - become introduced to Galuppi. You may very well want to hear more of this composer.
Then go to Martha Argerich, considered to be among many, the world's most powerful woman pianist.
Her performances of the Scarlatti Sonata no. 141, especially the 2008 version, and the replication by Scarlatti of the guitar through repeated notes done by the use of the first three fingers, is stunning.
Then do go to Michelangeli, whose Scarlatti is a revelation, in his performance of the Sonata in "C" no. 159.
Finally watch Yuja Wang, currently the most riveting, arguably, of the new crop of pianists extant today, do another 'repeated note' investigation by Scarlatti, in the Sonata no.455 in "G."
Do enjoy!
Scarlatti preceded Galuppi by about a generation, and was one of the Great Three born in the same year(1685); namely, he, along with Bach and Handel. The pianist of today continues to be enthralled by his wonderful sonatas, about 550 in number, which he wrote for the keyboard; namely, the harpsichord, which preceded the piano, which first appeared around 1711. The matchless prescience of these compositions fits the modern piano veritably as if Scarlatti's vision allowed for him to write for an instrument yet to come - and these short pieces continue, of course, to be among the great contributions to the world of harpsichord performance.
Galuppi was well-known, primarily as a writer of comic opera, and was among the most popular musical figures of his time - what is pretty well discarded today are his keyboard works, some of which are really quite wonderful, especially in utterance of melody and harmonic taste. Why not go to YouTube and listen to examples of both composers, one well-known; the other pretty well consigned to relative obscurity?
I chose the art of finger articulation at the highest level among three giants - no crushing Lisztian passages and heroics or passages which sweep us along in the Horowitzian manner this time around.
Just sounds, essentially without pedal or overpowering dynamic events.
Listen to the magic of Michelangeli, with his quicksilver tone and marvelous control over finger motion, murmur us through the third movement of a Galuppi Sonata - become introduced to Galuppi. You may very well want to hear more of this composer.
Then go to Martha Argerich, considered to be among many, the world's most powerful woman pianist.
Her performances of the Scarlatti Sonata no. 141, especially the 2008 version, and the replication by Scarlatti of the guitar through repeated notes done by the use of the first three fingers, is stunning.
Then do go to Michelangeli, whose Scarlatti is a revelation, in his performance of the Sonata in "C" no. 159.
Finally watch Yuja Wang, currently the most riveting, arguably, of the new crop of pianists extant today, do another 'repeated note' investigation by Scarlatti, in the Sonata no.455 in "G."
Do enjoy!
posted by LH at
2:13 PM
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