Lassus villanelle, etc.

Lassus: Villanelle, moresche e altre canzone
Concerto Italiano - Rinaldo Alessandrini
Opus 111 30-94

Contents:

  1. Allala, pia calia (à 4)
  2. Saccio 'na cosa ch'è di legn'e tonda (à 4)
  3. Lucia, celu, ahi, ahi, biscania (à 4)
  4. S'io ve dico ca sete la chiù bella (à 4)
  5. Ecco la nimph'Ebrayca chiamata (à 4)
  6. Parch'hai lasciato de non t'affacciare? (à 4)
  7. Io ti vorria contar la pena mia (à 4)
  8. Hai, Lucia, bona cosa io dic'a tia (à 4)
  9. Chichilichi? Cucurucu! (à 6)
  10. Oh Lucia, miau, miau (moresca à 3; 1560)
  11. Ad altre le voi dare ste passate (à 4)
  12. Tutto lo di mi dici: canta, canta! (à 4)
  13. Cathalina, apra finestra (à 6)
  14. Tutto 'I dì piango (madrigal à 5; 1567)
  15. Matona, mia cara, mi follere canzon (à 4)
  16. S'io fusse ciaul'e tu lo campanile (à 4)
  17. Ogni giorno m'han ditt'a chi favelli (à 4)
  18. O belle fusa! chi ne vo' accattare (à 4)
  19. Madonna mia, pietà (à 4; 1555)
  20. Canta Georgia, canta (à 6)
  21. S'io ti vedess'una sol volt'il giorno (à 4)
  22. O occhi, manza mia, cigli dorati! (à 4)
  23. Sol' e pensoso i più deserti campi (madrigal à 5; 1555)
  24. Tutto lo dì mi dici: canta, canta! (à 8)
  25. Mi me chiamere Mistre Righe (à 5)
  26. Ola, o che bon eccho! (echo à 8)
  27. Zanni! Piasi, patro? (dialogue à 8)

Performers: Rossana Bertini, Monica Piccinini (sopranos); Claudio Cavina, Roberto Balconi (altos); Giuseppe Maletto, Sandro Naglia (tenors); Daniele Carnovich, Sergio Foresti (basses)

Playing time: 59'

Production date: 1994

The villanelle was a light genre, originating in the popular music of Naples. The idiom is always light-hearted and the counterpoint is simple. Although once in the hands of Franco-Flemish masters like Willaert & Lassus, some of the simplistic features like parallel fifths were removed, these songs continue to be quite simple in character.

The moresca was originally a parody of the speech of Africans living around Naples, but again developed into a slightly more artistic form. Of course, this music is full of racism and sexually explicit content. In fact, the present recording acquired some additional fame by being the first early music recording to require an "obscene lyrics" advisory in the US.

At any rate, this music goes to show the tremendous diversity of Lassus' output. The present recording consists of the complete 23 pieces from Lassus' publication "Villanelle, moresche e altre canzone" of 1581 (however, these songs are reportedly much earlier compositions which Lassus only then chose to publish) along with 4 pieces from other sources (tracks 10, 14, 19, 23). This music stands in sharp contrast to Lassus' sacred music, or his more seriously-minded madrigals & songs.

Another recording devoted to this repertory:

Lasso: Villanelle alla Napoletana
Ensemble Camerata Nova
Stradivarius 33374

Other significant recordings general devoted to the villanella genre:

Willaert: Complete Works Vol. 1
Le Villanesche
Collegio Vocale / Strumentale Euterpe - Antonio Eros Negri
Stradivarius 33311
Canzoni villanesche alla Napolitana
Ensemble Daedalus
Accent 94107
Villanelle Napoletane del XVI secolo
Ensemble San Felice - Giangiacomo Pinardi
Tactus 500002

Another fine recording devoted to Lassus' secular output, this time his French chansons, also including some more restrained & traditional settings:

Lassus: Chansons & Morescas
Ensemble Clément Janequin - Dominique Visse
Harmonia Mundi 901391

Recordings devoted to madrigals:

Lassus: Il Canzoniere di Messer Francesco Petrarca
Huelgas Ensemble - Paul Van Nevel
Harmonia Mundi 901828
Lasso: Trionfo dell'Amore
Madrigals on texts of Petrarca
Orlando di Lasso Ensemble - Detlef Bratschke
Thorofon 2282

A couple of other significant recordings from Lassus' huge & diverse output, featuring works in multiple languages:

Lassus: Viersprachendruck
Motets, Madrigals, Chansons and Lieder
Orlando di Lasso Ensemble Hannover - Detlef Bratschke
Thorofon 2209
Lassus: Prophetiae Sibyllarum
Italienische madrigales / Französische chansons
Cantus Cölln - Konrad Junghänel
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77304

And another illustration of the lighter side of Lassus:

Lasso: Chansons & Madrigals
The Toronto Consort - David Fallis
Dorian Discovery 80149

To purchasing information for this disc.

To FAQ references to this recording.

To FAQ CD index page.

Todd M. McComb