IN STILE MODERNO

 

Faithful and Pious Heart:

Devotional Music in

Seventeenth-Century Italy

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Friday, May 1, 7:30 pm

Brattleboro Music Center
Saturday, May 2, 7:30 pm

Friends Meeting at Cambridge

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Agnes Coakley Cox, soprano; Nathaniel Cox,

cornetto and theorbo; Parker Ramsay, harp;

Daniel Swenberg, theorbo and guitar

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Bringing together the lightness of secular song with the gravity of religious themes, canzonette spirituali emerged in seventeenth-century Italy as a form of sacred vocal music intended not for the church, but for private devotion. With texts in the vernacular Italian, rather than Latin, these songs were often inspired by, or even parodied, the popular songs of the day—but together with the catchy bass lines and hummable melodies came texts that described the passion of Christ, the nature of the Trinity, or the path to Heaven. In our final concert of the season, we present a selection from this little-heard repertoire, with works by Benedetto Ferrari, Domenico Mazzocchi, and others. Accompanied by the magical timbre of theorbo and baroque harp, and complemented by instrumental works for cornetto, harp, and theorbo,

these “spiritual songs” will make for an enchanting and unforgettable evening.