Antonio de Cabezon: EMS 3 April

[doversoul1]

Lucie Skeaping presents a profile of the blind Spanish renaissance organist and composer Antonio de Cabezon, marking the 450th anniversary of his death in 1566.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b075p6n3

Cabezon’s works for the guitar (lute?) played on R3 was my introduction to the Golden Age of Spanish Renaissance music. Maybe Richard Tarleton could tell us more.

[ardcarp]

I hope she includes a few of his organ pieces played on a suitably rough old Spanish organ, preferably with a Trompeta Real. They sound too polite on an English instrument!

[Richard Tarleton]

Just one disc in my Hesperion XX España Antigua set is devoted to Cabezón (music for instrumental consort, with just a couple of pieces for solo vihuela de mano ) so looking forward to learning more. He knew Luís de Narvaez (at the court of Charles V) whose compositions for vihuela I know rather better - I'm currently learning his 22 Variations on Conde Claros in the guitar transcrption by Emilio Pujol. I love the music of 16thC (and 17thC) Spain.

[ardcarp]

It is very sad that almost no choral music by Cabezon has survived since, presumably as musician at the chapels of royal courts, he would have 'written' a fair bit. Much of Cabezon's keyboard writing is based on a cantus firmus, either plainsong or a secular tune. Whilst I find it hard to agree with Lucy's suggestion that he was 'the greatest ever composer of keyboard music' (she did say that didn't she?) he definitely made keyboard composition distinct from other genres...i.e. not just fantasias that could equally well be played by viols or sung. A shame that apart from the first piece, the organ was not specified. And why was such a lot of music played on the clavichord? It became rather tedious after a while...well, it did for me anyway. The clavichord was never an instrument for public performance, and here it was recorded 'close', making it sound most odd.

Here's a couple of Youtube clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=famZqWZoUGo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZfZZ_bNxuY

[Richard Tarleton]

We could have done with your clips ardcarp - a rather underwhelming selection I thought, the clavichord pieces particularly.

About Diferencias - his friend Narvaez's Diferencias sobre Guárdame las vacas of 1538 was apparently the first printed example of a theme and variations.

I wonder how long the procession from Toledo to Granada took them - at 230 miles under 4 hours today, I can picture the creaking ox-carts....minimum 8 days I should imagine, resting at passing monasteries....

[ardcarp]

RT. Did I miss the bit about the procession?

[Richard Tarleton]

The fourth clip - Diferencias sobre el canto “De quien teme enojo Isabel” - followed Lucie telling us about the procession with Queen Isabella's body from Toledo where she died to Granada where she was to be buried, and Cabezón's supervision of the music for the funeral. I wasn't clear what part the clavichord piece played in the proceedings though. I was just imagining the heat, the dust, the flies

[ardcarp]

The fourth clip - Diferencias sobre el canto “De quien teme enojo Isabel” - followed Lucie telling us about the procession with Queen Isabella's body from Toledo where she died to Granada where she was to be buried, and Cabezón's supervision of the music for the funeral. I wasn't clear what part the clavichord piece played in the proceedings though. I was just imagining the heat, the dust, the flies

Ah thanks. Blame my clavichord tea-break. But Oxth Cartths They're for peathanths! Hortheth thurely???

[Richard Tarleton]

Ah thanks. Blame my clavichord tea-break. But Oxth Cartths They're for peathanths! Hortheth thurely???

I'm guessing but I think the baggage train (which must have been considerable for a progress like this) would have been hauled by oxen - the pace dictated by the speed of the hearse.....