Amor, ch’attendi? — Italian music of the Renaissance early Baroque

Cara to Caccini!

Marco Cara was a composer of Frottole (rather short, strophic songs popular in Italy at the beginning of the 16th century) active in Mantua. Giulio Caccini was a Florentine composer, whose new style of monody was ground-breaking and influential. Both played lute and were singers; Caccini also a renowned teacher. “Le nuove musiche” (The New Music) by Caccini is an invaluable source for the interpretation of early Baroque music and a great collection of songs including monodies like "Amarilli, mia bella" (Amarilli, my beautiful) - presented in this program in an ornamented version from the British Library - and "arias", strophic and rythmic songs, like "Amor, ch'attendi?" (Love, what are you waiting for?). Pieces by Tromboncino, Willaert, Falconieri, and Kapsberger deepen our view of Renaissance music and our understanding of the transition to the Baroque.

Two pieces were commissioned for this program with texts selected and edited by Joel Frederiksen. The first piece, on texts published posthumously about the life of an Italian Architect, Domenico Martinelli, “Memorie della vita di Domenico Martinelli” (Lucca 1772), was composed by Willem Cuellers (Brussels). The second piece was composed by Laurence Traiger (USA/Munich) on texts from architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Joel Frederiksen - Bass, Lute, Archlute