Music from Orfeo (10 Pos)

Music from Orfeo (10 Pos) (The form we now know as opera developed from the pastoral entertainments, or intermedii, of late 16th century North Italy. During this time a group of dilitanti, the Florentine Camarata, speculated on a style of performance which ensured that the words of a drama could be clearly heard. This monody, an early form of simple recitative, became the binding element that turned the intermedii into a fully dramatic form. The first such piece was ‘Dafne’ composed by Peri in 1598 and many others soon followed. The first opera to be considered worthy of frequent modern performance is ‘Orfeo’, written by Montiverdi for performance in Mantua in 1607. It tells the tale of Orfeo descending into Hades to rescue his beloved Euridice who has been killed by a snake. The music consists of a series of simple songs and chorus linked by monodic recitative which progresses the story, and instrumental ritornelli and sinfonias which link the whole thing together. This suite begins with the famous Toccata, repeated as Montiverdi requested, 3 times and continues with a series of chorus and instrumental movements. 1 Toccata - 2 Prologue - ritornello - 3 Coro - Laciate i monti - 4 Ritornello - 5 Coro -Ecco Orfeo - 6 Sinfonia - 7. Coro - Ahi, caso acerbo - 8. Sinfonia - 9. Ritornello -: Coro - Vanne Orfeo - 10. Moresca Performance notes: The top part in each choir is best played on an alto trombone. Editorial suggestions have been made to guide the style of performance. In general the sound should be light and expressive. Avoid an over-heavy or symphonically loud manner of playing. The texture will usually benefit from longer notes being slightly released in volume. In the cantabile music the phrases need to be shaped in a vocal manner. In the quicker, dance-like music articulations should be carefully considered to achieve rhythmic vitality. While each movement can be played as a separate item, the suite will work best if the pieces are linked in a segue manner.