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20. Calata ala spagnola ditto terzetti di zuan Ambroso Dalza (5:19)
21. Tastar de corde (1:19)
The “supreme poet of the lute” (Gramophone), Hopkinson Smith creates a subtle, intimate dialogue between Dalza and Spinacino, witnesses of the instrument’s flourishing culture in Italy at the dawn of the 16th Century.
Hopkinson Smith, that indefatigable pioneer for over forty years, eager hunter of the most distant scores and defender of restoring often obscure manuscripts, will stop at nothing in his exploration and revival of the huge repertoire of his instrument. In this recording, his art, underpinned by a vast historic knowledge together with a profound faith in intuition, examines the first music printed for the lute, and some of the first sources for the instrument to have reached us.
In a perfectly symmetrical programme structured around a central piece by Marchetto Cara, the Swiss American lutenist intertwines pieces inspired from popular dance by Joan Ambrosio Dalza and several free form ricercari by Francesco Spinacino, taken from collections of tablatures published in Venice in 1507 and 1508.
“Some critics may see my reconstruction of the music as heresy, but I considered it necessary, given the degree of confusion in which many of Spinacino’s works have reached us,” warns Hopkinson Smith. “I believed we had to either abandon the originals to their fate, never to be played, or tighten the loose threads of a convincing tapestry as a work of art.”
He weaves this subtle polyphony on a six-course lute built in the tradition of the late 15th Century, giving it heightened resonance and clarity of sound. Inspired by the mystery of these mysterious treasures evoking the distant times and reverie of the Middle Ages, Hopkinson Smith approaches these works with the humility of one who appreciates the incredible richness, and the expressive power of this solitary lutenist who has become a storyteller through his instrument.
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FILE LIST
Filename
Size
01 - Saltarello ala ferrarese (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
66.5 MB
02 - Recercare 6 (Intabolatura de lauto, Libro primo, Libro secondo).flac
39.4 MB
03 - Recercare 13 (Intabolatura de lauto, Libro primo, Libro secondo).flac
44 MB
04 - Piva ala ferrarese (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
42.5 MB
05 - Caldibi castigliano (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
33.6 MB
06 - Caldibi saltarello (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
55.6 MB
07 - Recercare 23 (Intabolatura de lauto, Libro primo, Libro secondo).flac
63.9 MB
08 - Recercare 4 (Intabolatura de lauto, Libro primo, Libro secondo).flac
80.4 MB
09 - Pavana ala ferrarese (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
80.3 MB
10 - Io non compro piu speranza (Franciscus bossinensis, Libro primo).flac
56.1 MB
11 - Poi che volse la mia stella (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
45.4 MB
12 - Recercare 25 (Intabolatura de lauto, Libro primo, Libro secondo).flac
44.9 MB
13 - Recercare 15 (Intabolatura de lauto, Libro primo, Libro secondo).flac
59.6 MB
14 - Pavana ala venetiana (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
71.5 MB
15 - Saltarelloala venetiana (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
34.3 MB
16 - Piva ala venetiana (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
58.1 MB
17 - Recercare 12 (Intabolatura de lauto, Libro primo, Libro secondo).flac
61.1 MB
18 - Recercare 9 (Intabolatura de lauto, Libro primo, Libro secondo).flac
72.6 MB
19 - Poi che'l ciel contrario adverso (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
40.8 MB
20 - Calata ala spagnola ditto terzetti di zuan Ambroso Dalza (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac
96.4 MB
21 - Tastar de corde (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto).flac