Giovanni Legrenzi (1626–1690) today does not enjoy the fame he deserves, but he must have been esteemed in his lifetime considering he left his Bergamasque hometown of Clusone and – despite a somewhat tortuous path – managed to culminate his career as capellmeister of the ducal Basilica of St Mark in Venice. His music was influential not only on his documented pupils (Antonio Lotti, Antonino Biffi, Giovanni Varischino and likely Tomaso Albinoni) but also on later, great composers such as Handel and J.S. Bach. Legrenzi’s music, in turn, was influenced by that of Monteverdi, although it does not appear he was a direct pupil of the Cremonese master.
His Balletti e Correnti for 5 instruments with basso continuo for the cembal comprise nine Balletto–Corrente pairs of dance movements. Those names – ‘corrente’ in particular – do not, however, indicate characteristics usually associated with dance movements so named in a typical keyboard suite, for example.
In this collection, the balletti and correnti alternate in binary and ternary time, respectively. The only one resembling a Frenchstyle ‘courante’ may be the Seventh (perhaps also the Fifth), with the First and Fourth more like a jig in character. The Eighth Corrente is peculiar in that it clearly evokes a sarabande: the main accent systematically placed on the second beat of the bar.
The final, Ninth Corrente is the only relatively well-known piece in the set. It consists of 13 ‘variations’ on a basso ostinato, in the style of a chaconne. It is among the few individual balletti or correnti previously available on disc, with this complete presentation of the set constituting a First Recording. The balletti also make up a varied series. They almost always feature dotted rhythms, but Legrenzi manages to innovate in each. Some of them are bipartite, with the B-section abandoning the dotted rhythms and introducing new thematic elements, often in a contrapuntal style.
The five-part writing resembles the ‘Sonata a 5’ genre prevalent at the time and represented on this recording in another two compositions by Legrenzi.
These are clearly chamber sonatas that still retain in their structure the memory of the Frescobaldian toccata and already exhibit the influence of the stylus phantasticus. They are clearly divided into sections of highly contrasting episodes, alternately fast, slow and dreamy, toccata-like or dance-like.
Other information:
- Recorded August 2023 in Castelgomberto (Vicenza), Italy
- Bilingual booklet in English and Italian contains liner notes by the director, Nicola Reniero, along with profiles of him and of the ensemble
- Nicola Reniero plays an Italian harpsichord by Florindo Gazzola (1997)
- Ensemble pitched at a=440 Hz and tuned to sixth-comma meantone.
- Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music. He held several important posts as court musician and Maestro di Cappella in Ferrara, Mantua, Bologna and finally Venice, where he was appointed at the prestigious San Marco.
- Legrenzi’s “Balletti e Correnti Op. 16” was published in 1671. They consists of stylized dance movements typical of the time, such as balletti (ballets) and correnti (courantes). These pieces are written in a transparent and lyrical style, performed by a small ensemble, showcasing Legrenzi’s skill in crafting engaging melodies and rich harmonies. The collection reflects the evolving tastes of 17th-century Europe, where dance music began to transition from functional court entertainment to concert repertoire.
- Performed on period instruments by the Italian group Il Trattenimento Armonico, with Nicola Reniero as director and cembalo player.
