Intrada: Two Baroque Fanfares by Claudio Monteverdi Concert Band - Sheet Music

SKU: WE.GMM090

Certainly the first master of the Baroque was Claudio Monteverdi, who spent most of his creative life in Venice. His "Orfeo" (1607) is today considered the first great opera. In addition to a large cast of singers, this groundbreaking musical drama calls for an enormous variety and number of instruments. The opening instrumental "Toccata" was so successful that Monteverdi made a new setting for voices and instruments (winds, strings, and keyboards) as the opening movement to his sacred masterpiece "Vespers for the Virgin Mary" of 1610.
Benedetto Marcello, who was a contemporary of Vivaldi, is best known today for musical settings of the first fifty Psalms, published in Venice in 1724-26. The 19th Psalm "The Heavens Declare," originally set for voices, (stringed) instruments, and keyboard continuo, has a particularly festive opening movment.
These two fanfare-like movements can be programed as a set of contrasting pieces, or performed individually. The Monteverdi selection was originally scored a third higher, in D major, while the Marcello was originally written up a step, in C major. All the percussion parts are added by the transcriber, as are the dynamics and articulations.
In the Monteverdi selection, the faster moving notes (trumpets and upper trombones at the outset) were originally written for instruments, while the long-note chords were scored for voices. It is crucial throughout that these chords not dominate the texture. Reducing the dynamics significantly after each accent will help achieve this clarity. Also, tuning these Bb chords is essential - make certain the fifth of the chord (F) is kept high enough, while keeping the major third (D) low. The sections in 3/4 should be dance-like, with the dotted half-note equalling a half-note of the previous section.
It is essential that Marcello's "Psalm 19" be performed in a light and brilliant style. A few suggestions may help. First, even though conducted in quarter-notes, the players and conductor should feel the eighth-note pulse throughout. Second, the tenuto 8th-notes and dotted-8th-notes should be played longer than the notes around them, but should not be played full value. There should be a tiny space after each tenuto note. Unmarked quarter-notes should also be slightly spaced. When played in this manner, this piece will take on a bouyancy which lets the music come alive.