Raval: Ricercari & Canzonette

This recording fills a gap in our understanding of Sebastián Raval (c.1550–1604), a composer who has proved elusive to posthumous fame. Of noble origin, he was born on an unknown date in the region of Murcia (possibly in Cartagena). He fought in the Siege of Maastricht (1579) with the Spanish Tercios in Flanders, and, severely wounded, retired to Italy where he became a friar and worked as a musician.

Although musician–nobles were abundant in the 16th century, the presumption of a certain amateurism has marginalized them in the gene- ral historical narrative. Additionally, following a musical argument with Sicilian composer Achille Falcone, Raval was painted unfairly by partisan critics as arrogant and untalented, a view that persisted in Italian historiography, whereas in Spain he was largely ignored (most likely due to a career spent outside his home country).

Yet the canzonette on this album dispel any doubts about Raval’s talent. A light genre setting anonymous texts inspired by Petrarch in a madrigalian vein, canzonette – and particularly Raval’s – abound with themes of love. Although this genre was not inclined towards musical experimentation, there is a certain evolution from the classic canzonette of Orazio Vecchi (in the 1580s) to later examples by Luca Marenzio; Raval’s compositions, created in his pre-Roman period, fall at an intermediate point therein.

The choice of four voices with high tessituras and a baritone follows Vecchi’s style. Raval however uses a more imitative language, and in this aspect he is closer to Marenzio without reaching the latter’s declamatory style.

Not only is Raval’s book of ricercari the only one composed by a Spanish musician; its content reveals a rare contrapuntal ingenuity and a restless, innovative spirit that cannot go unnoti- ced. The volume reached us by sheer good fortune. Only one copy of each part-book was preserved in the archive of the cathedral of Valladolid. Thanks to this, today we can enjoy this rare music, not just for its artistry but also for its delicacy.

Other information:
Recorded July 2023 in Guadalajara, Spain
Booklet in English contains a note on the canzonettas by Esperanza Rodríguez, a note from the editor of the ricercars, Andrés Cea Galán, profiles of the ensemble and conductor, and the Italian sung texts

Sebastián Raval (c.1550-1604) was a Spanish composer of vocal and instrumental music. Born in Cartagena, he served as a soldier of the Army of Flanders in Flanders and Sicily. He joined the order of St. John of Jerusalem after being wounded in the siege of Maastricht. He moved to Italy where he served as a musician in the court of Francesco Maria II della Rovere in Urbino, of the viceroy of Sicily, Bernardino de Cárdenas, and of the cardinals Peretti and Colonna in Rome.
The canzonette in this album are a clear proof of Raval’s talent. They were published in Il primo libro di canzonette a quattro voci (Venice, 1593), dedicated to the Colonna family. The canzonetta is a light genre, with anonymous texts inspired by Petrarch and in madrigalian vein, abounding in themes of love and melancholy. The Canzonette are alternated by Ricercari.
Beautifully performed by the string ensemble La Violondrina, led by María Saturno. María Saturno, Venezuelan-Italian cellist and viola gambist, graduated from the Uni- versity of Musical Studies, Caracas, Venezuela. She participated in master classes with teachers Wieland Kuijken, Jordi Savall, Guido Balestracci, Bettina Hoffmann, Vittorio Ghielmi and Juan Manuel Quintana.