Harpsichord; Organ; Early
Music
SKU:
UT.HS-282
Composed by
Alessandro Scarlatti.
Edited by Francesco
Tasini. Saddle stitching.
Classical. Ut Orpheus #HS
282. Published by Ut
Orpheus (UT.HS-282).
ISBN 9790215326446. 9
x 12 inches.
The
two-part composition has
always been an essential
stage in didactic
treatises for teaching
counterpoint; the Duo has
been of fundamental
importance, since the
early decades of the
sixteenth century, in the
teaching of singing and
in instrumental
practice.
The
interpretation and
performance of
Scarlatti’s Fughe a
Due require on the
one hand a correct and
prompt interpretation of
the chords which are the
basis of the movement and
the relationship between
the two parts, and on the
other an indispensable
invention of a third or
even a fourth part (to
ensure, above all, full
and significant
harmony).
An
indication of this
practice of filling in is
offered by the same ms.
source containing
Scarlatti’s Fughe a
Due. In Fugue
II in D minor, in the
first eleven bars, we
find indicated above the
Bass a series of numbers
showing the interval in
relation to the
respective upper line.
These indications should
not be confused with the
numerical marking typical
of the basso continuo and
of the partimento, for
they establish a clear
sign of the usual
practice exercised in the
teaching of counterpoint
in order to guide the
student visually to pass
safely and speedily from
two to three or more
parts; this type of
numbering is often found
in the counterpoint
methods of the time, in
particular in the section
illustrating the
Contrapunto semplice e
Diminuito.
These
fifteen Fughe a
Due, unlike the many
Duos and Duets which
figure in the
counterpoint methods, are
not a simple display of
formulas, but they assert
themselves as a
calculated sample of
characterized styles and
genres, a series of
pieces conceived with an
exquisite sense of
form.
