Muffat - Missa in Labore Requies - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Muffat Complete Apparatus Musico-Organisticus, Composer Georg Muffat, Artist Adriano Falcioni organ, 2 CD, A former pupil of Pasquini who also came into contact with Corelli, Georg Muffat - born in Savoy in 1653 - was the first example of a truly international composer who brought together elements of the German, French and Italian styles. He was primarily an organist, working in cities such as Paris, Vienna and Prague, and his Apparatus musico-organisticus, to which this is dedicated, was the largest corpus of organ works published at the time - an enormously popular volume, to the extent that it was considered among the foremost compilations of it's sort in southern Germany. The Apparatus originally consisted of 12 toccatas, but in a later edition three pieces were added to the set Ciacona, Passacaglia and Nova Cyclopeias Harmonica. The organist is certainly put to the test, what with the scales, the leaps, double trills and a wide variety of figures that express 'contrasting affections' in the works - the last of which alludes to the story of Pythagoras, who discovered the foundations of musical tuning by listening to the hammering of a blacksmith on various anvils. Brilliant Classics regular, Adriano Falcioni - whose previous recordings for the tag include Duruflé's Complete Music for Choir and Organ (9264) - performs this magnum opus with aplomb, revealing the skill of a composer who is credited with being the first musician to introduce the Italian concerto grosso and the French suite to the German-speaking countries. Recorded 15-17 May 2013. Georg Muffat was a cosmopolitan artist. In a time when no work permits were needed he travelled Europe and worked in Strassbourg, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Rome and ultimately in Salzburg, at the court of the Archbishop. Like a musical sponge he absorbed every current style of his time in his music, which contains Itali

Georg Muffat (1653-1704) after studying as a youngster with Lully in Paris, was involved most of his life with the Catholic Church. He worked as cathedral organist in Alsace, moved to Bavaria as a law student, and then settled for a time in Vienna. Following employment as organist to the Archbishop of Salzburg, interrupted by a period of study in Rome with the renowned keyboard player, Bernardo Pasquini, he took a final position as organist to the Bishop of Passau. Among his compositions is the Armonico Tributo of 1682, five multi-movement, five-voice sonatas which Muffat left open as to various instrumental possibilities, even including performance as concerti grossi. One easily hears the influence of Corelli, whom Muffat met while in Rome, but there are also moments when one surmises that Handel knew these scores well. The music, perfectly gorgeous in this smaller instrumental version, mixes the French and Italian styles, as well as chamber-sonata and sonata da chiesa movements. InchOf the seven-member Ars Antiqua Austria, one can only bestow the greatest praise for such wonderfully stylish performances, superb ensemble, a welcome lack of mannerisms, and faultless recorded sound.Inch (Goldberg)

Muffat / Gester - Toccati & Concerti Da Chiesa [COMPACT DISCS] date 04/24/1998