LindoroRossini's video: Baroque mementos Cristofaro Caresana La Veglia 1674 Dormi o ninno Giuseppe Naviglio

≈ History ≈ Grove Dictionary, All Music Guide A new name turned up during my latest listening sessions -- Cristoforo Caresana (1640-1709), a composer who, after studying in Venice, settled in Naples from 1658 till his death. The few details on his life available to us reveal a figure of some stature: member of the Congregazione dell'Oratorio from 1659 to 1706; tenor/organist for the Royal Chapel; maestro di cappella of the Conservatorio di S. Onofrio -- one of the famed orphanage-music schools of Naples -- from 1688 to 1690, and, from 1699, Maestro to the Treasury of S. Gennaro. His vocal exercises were widely used, and some of them were reprinted for the Paris Conservatoire in 1819 but, as it is the case with many Baroque composers, his heritage is only gradually being revealed, as the interest in early music practices continues to persist. In this case we approach one of his sacred works written to commemorate the Birth of the Savior -- the cantata "La Veglia" for 6 voices and strings -- which curiously compares Christ to a gambler who wins by staking his own life. ≈ Music ≈ I strongly believe that a piece of music should possess a melodic clarity that immediately pierces the heart. The present lullaby -- a striking contrast to its surrounding merry dances and choruses -- is, perhaps, the epitome of my expectations. Its extreme brevity (just under 1,5 minutes) and straightforward construction (just five phrases structured as ABABC) belie an exquisitely designed little gem. The orchestration -- a simple ground bass line and repeated quadruplets in the strings -- is the model of simplicity. The vocal line, as the singer gently rocks the babe to sleep noting that "God will keep watch", is effectively derived from the accompaniment, the A phrase being an elaborated version of the bass line, while in the B section the singer takes over the quadruplet figures from the lower strings which, in turn, replicate the ground bass. Caresana keeps the lullaby bound to the orchestra, save for a lone decorative figure (0:51) and the C section -- a coda which takes the singer to the bottom of the range. Thus, the piece attains a simple unity which only heightens its striking effect. As per usual, the greatest beauty can and should be attained through the most modest of means. ≈ Score ≈ The sheet music for the piece can be found on IMSLP (P. 12-13) ~ http://imslp.org/wiki/La_Veglia_%28Caresana,_Cristofaro%29 ≈ Recording ≈ The 2010 Glossa recording combines several sacred works by Caresana played with vigor by I Turchini under Antonio Florio and boasts a fine cast with a suitably resonant bass in Giuseppe Naviglio who sings the present piece. Hope you'll enjoy =).