Ludovico Roncalli
Encyclopedia
Count Ludovico Roncalli (1654–1713), or simply Count Ludovico, was an Italian
nobleman who published a collection of suites for five-course baroque guitar
, Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola ("Harmonic caprices for the Spanish guitar"), in 1692. This was transcribed to modern notation and arranged for the six-string guitar by Oscar Chilesotti in 1881. The work, consisting of nine complete suites, each comprising several short movements, is a great favorite of guitar enthusiasts, and individual movements frequently appear in guitar method books. Frederick Noad
, who wrote "The Baroque Guitar" and other popular instruction books, did not rate the Chilesotti transcription highly, pointing to many omitted embellishments and octave errors relating to the fourth and fifth strings. Another edition in modern notation was published by Bruno Henze, and released in 1955 by VEB Friedrich Hofmeister, Leipzig. Noad did not comment on whether this edition had corrected the deficiencies of the Chilesotti version.
The original is available in a facsimile edition edited by Paolo Paolini (Florence 1982). A passacaglia
from Roncalli's work was made famous in Ottorino Respighi
's Ancient Airs and Dances.
Unlike much of the music of the later Baroque era, Roncalli's dance movements retain the flavor of actual dance music; for example his Gigues inspire the mental image of people dancing a spirited jig. However, the dancelike quality varies depending on the movement and the performer.
Roncalli's Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola has been the exclusive subject of several recent recordings. One of the first was Sandro Volta's of suites I, II, IV, V, VII, and VIII on the Arion label in 1994 (ARN 68336). Jorge Oraisón recorded the entire cycle on 2 CDs for Vanguard Classics in 1996 (99151). Richard Savino recorded suites I, II, III, V, VII, and VIII for Dorian in 2008 (DSL-90604). Volta, Oraisón, and Savino used five-course guitars for their Roncalli recordings. 2004 saw the release of another recording devoted exclusively to Roncalli's work, on the Italian label Tactus. It features Giacomo Parimbelli performing the complete suites except for V, VI, and IX, on a 19th century instrument.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
nobleman who published a collection of suites for five-course baroque guitar
Baroque guitar
The Baroque guitar is a guitar from the baroque era , an ancestor of the modern classical guitar. The term is also used for modern instruments made in the same style....
, Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola ("Harmonic caprices for the Spanish guitar"), in 1692. This was transcribed to modern notation and arranged for the six-string guitar by Oscar Chilesotti in 1881. The work, consisting of nine complete suites, each comprising several short movements, is a great favorite of guitar enthusiasts, and individual movements frequently appear in guitar method books. Frederick Noad
Frederick Noad
Frederick Noad was a Belgian classical guitar performer, educator, and an original founder of the Guitar Foundation of America....
, who wrote "The Baroque Guitar" and other popular instruction books, did not rate the Chilesotti transcription highly, pointing to many omitted embellishments and octave errors relating to the fourth and fifth strings. Another edition in modern notation was published by Bruno Henze, and released in 1955 by VEB Friedrich Hofmeister, Leipzig. Noad did not comment on whether this edition had corrected the deficiencies of the Chilesotti version.
The original is available in a facsimile edition edited by Paolo Paolini (Florence 1982). A passacaglia
Passacaglia
The passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used by contemporary composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre....
from Roncalli's work was made famous in Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...
's Ancient Airs and Dances.
Unlike much of the music of the later Baroque era, Roncalli's dance movements retain the flavor of actual dance music; for example his Gigues inspire the mental image of people dancing a spirited jig. However, the dancelike quality varies depending on the movement and the performer.
Roncalli's Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola has been the exclusive subject of several recent recordings. One of the first was Sandro Volta's of suites I, II, IV, V, VII, and VIII on the Arion label in 1994 (ARN 68336). Jorge Oraisón recorded the entire cycle on 2 CDs for Vanguard Classics in 1996 (99151). Richard Savino recorded suites I, II, III, V, VII, and VIII for Dorian in 2008 (DSL-90604). Volta, Oraisón, and Savino used five-course guitars for their Roncalli recordings. 2004 saw the release of another recording devoted exclusively to Roncalli's work, on the Italian label Tactus. It features Giacomo Parimbelli performing the complete suites except for V, VI, and IX, on a 19th century instrument.