Toccata - Touched : Alex McCartney

Alex McCartney : Toccata - Touched.
Reflective, historically-informed performance on the lute.

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger's (c.1580-1651) works for theorbo are virtuosic, exploratory and peculiar: his baffling and brilliant use of rhythm (at a time when most other virtuoso players were pounding the semi-quavers) stewed with his surprisingly-odd chromatic harmony lends his music an obscure and surprising quality. As a result of his unconventional style his direct musical influences are ephemeral. He spent most of his life working in the same household (Cardinal Barberini's: the nephew of Pope Urban VIII) in Rome as Girolamo Frescobaldi; inevitably close during their presumed co-development of the toccata form: - 'toccata' translates as 'touched' - but otherwise much of K's life and music eludes us. By the 1610s the toccata was a fantasy form born out of sixteenth-century preambulatory forms such as the prelude, ricercar and 'tastar de corde' (to tune the strings): juxtaposed sections of blindingly florid passages and fugal polyphony are abruptly joined in a theatrical improvisatory style.

This album focuses primarily on Kapsberger's preludes and toccatas with only a few dance movements (gagliarda, corrente etc.) thrown in for their notable and enjoyable peculiarities. All the pieces recorded are from Kapsberger's 3rd (1626) and 4th (1640) books for theorbo. Kapsberger's 2nd book of theorbo (chitarrone) music still remains to be found.

'[Kapsberger] with his superb genius and other scientific skills in which he was expert, successfully penetrated the secrets of music.'
Anathasius Kircher: Musurgia Universalis (1650)

Songs:

License Reflective, historically-informed performance on the lute by Alex McCartney for your project.
Play the music of Alex McCartney in your restaurant or store.

Release date: 01/12/2018
Alex McCartney lives in York England

Tagged as: Classical, Renaissance, Baroque, Instrumental, Composer: Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger, Theorbo

Recommended albums:

Le 9 sonate per violoncello solo e continuo by Vito Paternoster: cellist extraordinaire
The Siena Manuscript on steel string guitar by Paul Berget: renaissance lute, modernized.
Alma de Cuerda (Soul of String) by La Reverie: Recreating traditional music from a modern perspective
Guinevere by Jeff Wahl: acoustic new age and jazz guitar.
Meditative Guitar by Jeff Wahl: acoustic new age and jazz guitar.
Bach Cello Suites on 8 String Guitar by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
JS Bach on 8 string guitar, vol 1 by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
Classical Ukulele by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
Vivaldi Concertos on 8-string guitar by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
Ravel on Guitar and Ukulele by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
Debussy on Guitar and Ukulele by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
The Christmas Album by AlmaNova: lively flute/guitar duo
'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime by Steve Eulberg: smile-inducing, toe-tapping folkgrass
CD1-Bach Cello Suites by Vito Paternoster: cellist extraordinaire
Concerti and Serenate for cello by Vito Paternoster: cellist extraordinaire
CD2-Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by Vito Paternoster: cellist extraordinaire
The Chopin Variations (on piano, violin and cello) by Chad Lawson: Multi-award winning pianist and composer who is not afraid to put his hat in anything
JS Bach Trios on Guitar by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
Estrem plays Lawson by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
Haydn Trios on Guitar by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar

Downloads:

MP3: High quality MP3 variable-bit-rate files. Most people download these: they are audiophile files that play everywhere.
ALAC: Perfect quality Apple Lossless format files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, get these. They're an exact audio copy of the original CD, and include the CD artwork and artist info. This is the same format as High Definition audio provided by the iTunes store.
AAC: High quality Apple Audio Codec files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, these files sound great and include CD art and artist info. This is the standard format provided by the iTunes music store.
WAV: Perfect quality WAV files. This format works everywhere, and is an exact audio copy of the original CD. It sounds fantastic. Album art and artist info is unfortunately not possible with this format.
FLAC Perfect quality open source FLAC files. This is an open source audio format. It is an exact copy of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
OGG: High quality open source OGG files. This is an open source audio format. It is a compressed (smaller file size) version of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
128k: Medium quality 128K MP3 files. These are medium audio quality MP3 files that will work on every device. The audio quality is good enough for most uses. These files are intended for cases where you want to conserve disk space.