The Carlo G. Manuscript: Virtuoso Liturgical Music from the Early 17th Century Profeti Della Quinta & Elam Rotem

• Anonymous:
• 1Veni dilecte mi06:30
• 2Tota pulchra es02:07
• 3Amor Jesu dulcissime02:02
• Paolo Quagliati (ca. 1555-1628):
• 4Alma mater03:23
• Giulio Caccini (1551-1618):
• 5Benché sovra le stelle (Per monache)02:10
• Anonymous:
• 6Ricercar (Biblioteca musicale Laurence K.J. Feininger MS FP 236)02:44
• 7Sub umbra illius02:25
• 8Toccata in D Minor (Chigi MS Q IV 24)01:56
• 9Mater Hierusalem02:40
• 10Ego flos campi01:53
• 11Ego dormio et cor meum vigilat02:54
• 12Panis angelicus03:54
• 13Toccata in A Minor (Chigi MS Q IV 27)01:32
• 14Iste est (Per S. Bernardo)02:28
• 15Peccavi super numerum03:00
• 16Toccata elevatione (Chigi MS Q IV 29)04:28
• 17Miserere04:45
• 18Nigra sum02:23
• Girolamo Giacobbi (1567-1629):
• 19Luce gratiae tuae02:30
• Paolo Quagliati:
• 20Toccata dell'ottavo tono02:49
• Giulio Caccini:
• 21Deus Dominus meus02:14
• Anonymous:
• 22Canzone (Biblioteca musicale Laurence K.J. Feininger MS FP 236)01:43
• 23Sicut sponsus matris03:20
• Total Runtime01:05:50

Info for The Carlo G. Manuscript: Virtuoso Liturgical Music from the Early 17th Century

Some 15 years ago, the hitherto unknown “Carlo G Manuscript” was purchased at a Vienna jumble sale for the princely sum of 60 Euros. Once a doctoral thesis had been prepared based on this document and it had been made available on the internet in the form of scanned images, the manuscript was sold by Sotheby’s at auction to an anonymous buyer in 2007, as a consequence of which it has once again disappeared. The fact that the surname of its author had become illegible as a result of a smudge deepens the mystery surrounding the manuscript even further – however, although being from the same time as that of the famous Carlo Gesualdo, everything points to the fact the prince of Venosa was not the composer being searched for...

An extensive selection of pieces from the manuscript can now be heard courtesy of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, performed by the ensemble Profeti della Quinta, and directed by the organist Elam Rotem. These are liturgical pieces dating from the early seventeenth century which undoubtedly would have sounded in Central Italy in a very similar form to what can be heard on this recording: one of the manuscript’s peculiar characteristics is that it includes, exactly – note for note – what is expected from the singers and organist. This embraces the complex ornamentations which, by and large, musicians would improvise and wouldn’t be written down.

The acoustic of the Chiesa dei Santi Eusebio e Vittore de Peglio, Italy provides added authenticity to a project which is entrancing from every angle.

Profeti della Quinta
Perrine Devillers, soprano
Doron Schleifer, countertenor
Ori Harmelin, chitarrone
Elam Rotem, organ & musical direction
Guests:
Plamena Nikitassova, violin (tracks 4, 9, 12)
Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, organ (tracks 4, 6, 9, 12, 20, 22)

Profeti della Quinta
Focusing on repertoire from the 16th and early 17th centuries, the vocal ensemble Profeti della Quinta aims to create vivid and expressive performances for audiences today. In particular, this is achieved through addressing the performance practices of the time. From its core of five male singers, this a-cappella ensemble also collaborates with instrumentalists and additional singers where required.

Profeti della Quinta have been active in researching and performing hitherto neglected repertoire, such as Emilio de' Cavalieri's Lamentations (1600) and Salomone Rossi's Hashirim asher li'Shlomo (1623), the first publication of polyphony in Hebrew, which they recorded on PAN Classics to critical acclaim. The ensemble performs regularly in various festivals and venues in Europe and Israel, such as the Oude Muziek Festival in Utrecht (the Netherlands), the Festival von Vlaanderen (Belgium), and the Biennale alter Musik Berlin. Profeti della Quinta took part in a documentary about Salomone Rossi, flimed in Mantua. in July 2011 the ensemble won the York Early music young artists competition. Highlights of the 2013-2014 season include concerts in Canada, Japan, France and Sweden.

The Ensemble was founded in the Galilee region of Israel by the bass and harpsichordist Elam Rotem. It is currently based in Switzerland, where all its members undertook further study at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.

Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB)
Since its creation in 1933, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB) and its working philosophy have lost nothing of their topicality. Founded by Paul Sacher and close colleagues in Basel, Switzerland, this University of Early Music (since 2008 part of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland) remains to this day unique in numerous respects. From the very beginning, musicians gathered here who decisively influenced the course of historical performance practice. The scope of activities at the SCB ranges from the early Middle Ages to the 19th century.

And as a result of the close co-operation between performers and scholars, a dynamic interaction exists between research, professional training, concerts, and publications. In all of this, the SCB operates with a broad definition of music. This arises from a particular approach which explores the historical context of past musical production to create musical interpretations that inspire the listener today – often combined with a fascination for the previously unknown. The CD productions play their part in bringing important projects and performers at the SCB to a wider audience. Around 75 such recordings have been produced on different labels since 1980. From 2010 the CD productions of the SCB have appeared on Glossa.

Booklet for The Carlo G. Manuscript: Virtuoso Liturgical Music from the Early 17th Century