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composition
Le Nozze di Firenze : for 4-9 voices / Francesco Corteccia and other composers; transcribed and edited by Cees Wagemakers
Other authors:
Wagemakers, Cees
(Editor)
Anonymous (Early Music)
(Composer)
Contains:
Francesco Corteccia: Ingredere (Welcome Cos. & El.) (3’15”)
Vattene almo riposo (Aurora) (2’)
Guardan’ almo, Pastore (I Pastori) (3’15”)
Chi ne l’a tolta, oyme? (Le Syrene) (2’30”)
O begl’ anni de l’ oro (Sileno) (1’45”)
Hor chi mai canterà (Le Ninphe) (2’)
Vienten’ almo riposo (La Notte) (3’)
Bacco, Bacco, eu, oe (Ballo di Satiri et Baccante) (1’15”)
Francesco Corteccia: Sacro et santo Hymeneo à 9 (4’45”)
Costanzo Festa: Più che mai vagh’ et bella (Fiorenza) (2’45”)
Mattio Rampollini: Lieta per honorarte (Pisa) (2’15”)
Pietro Masacone: Ecco Signor Volterra (Volterra) (3’15”)
Costanzo Festa: Come lieta si mostra (Arezzo) (1’30”)
Baccio Moschini: Non men ch’ ogni altra lieta (Cortona) (1’30”)
Mattio Rampollini: Ecco la fida ancella (Pistoia) (1’45”)
Baccio Moschini: Ecco Tebro (Il Tevero) (2’15”)
Description:
Florence was an autonomous city-state in Tuscany of the 16th century. It was ruled by Dukes who were always busy expanding their wealth and power, not afraid to wage a war with surrounding states.
The marriages of the Dukes were a political chess game and part of the political game. In 1539 Duke Cosimo I, 20 years of age, found a bride in Spain: Eleonora of Toledo. Of course there was a feast and as usual the guests were to be impressed by the beauty and variety of the plays and music presented. It was also a way of emphasizing the wealth and grandeur of the host.
It was already a widespread custom to intersperse events like these with intermedi, a very ephemeral kind of music, not meant to be saved for the future, and only to be performed on the day of the wedding, procession, tournament or celebration.
It may be called a miracle that the music for Cosimo’s wedding was saved from oblivion. Only a few sets of intermedi have survived the ages. Another set of intermedi that still exists was for the wedding of Duke Ferdinand I to Christine of Lorraine in 1589, as intermediate music during the play La Pellegrina (the Pilgrim). This set of intermedi has been performed several times in the recent decades.
The Intermedi of 1539 however are less known to the public. They are more authentic, and masterpieces of the prima prattica in madrigals. In fact the underlying set of madrigals and songs is divided in two parts: saying welcome to the bridal pair and their guests (music by Francesco Corteccia and several others), and the real intermedi during the festivities (all by F. Corteccia, who was the maestro).
Cees Wagemakers, 2019