Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

A wealth of cantatas

2014; Oxford University Press; Volume: 42; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/em/cau002

1741-7260

C. Churnside,

Diverse Musicological Studies

Despite the publication of Eugen Schmitz’s seminal work Geschichte der weltlichen Solokantate in 1914, the Italian cantata was for many years largely neglected by historians. A century later, studies into the genre are flourishing; the past decade has seen a number of doctoral dissertations on the subject, as well as conferences dedicated entirely to the form, a couple of books and, not least, the online database Clori: archivio della cantata italiana (www.cantataitaliana.it). However, the major issue preventing any large-scale study of the cantata is the sheer number of sources, the majority of which are in manuscripts scattered across the world’s libraries. Not only does this cause an obstacle to musicologists wishing to study the genre, but it can also prevent performers from obtaining a wealth of good music that deserves to be better known. In light of this, the present clutch of recently published critical editions is very welcome. Alexandra Nigito’s edition of Bernardo Pasquini’s cantatas is an important addition to our knowledge of both the late 17th-century cantata in general, and of the output of this composer in particular. A famous virtuoso on the harpsichord, Pasquini is best known for his contribution to keyboard music. However, he also wrote vocal music and, like virtually every composer of his day, this included cantatas. Whilst Pasquini’s renown was largely based on his skill as a performer and on his instrumental compositions, his contemporaries also recognized his contribution to the cantata, with Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni describing his ‘moltissime cantate et oratorij’. The entirety of his extant ‘moltissime cantate’ are included in this weighty tome, numbering 73 works in total. Nigito’s comprehensive collection also encompasses the lengthy ‘cantate festive’, two motets, and incomplete and spurious works. Such an exhaustive undertaking thoroughly deserves its place in a series entitled ‘Monumenta Musica Europea’.