German harpsichordist Rebecca Maurer here offers a specialist release, leavened with aspects of interest for general listeners. These involve not only the music, which is until now almost unknown, but also a historical (and artistic) tidbit pertaining to pasta's early Neapolitan origins. The music of Renaissance Naples, despite that city's size and economic importance, is less well understood than that of the northern cities, and Maurer's recording is mostly in the nature of an attempt to get a grasp on the 1576 publication ...
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German harpsichordist Rebecca Maurer here offers a specialist release, leavened with aspects of interest for general listeners. These involve not only the music, which is until now almost unknown, but also a historical (and artistic) tidbit pertaining to pasta's early Neapolitan origins. The music of Renaissance Naples, despite that city's size and economic importance, is less well understood than that of the northern cities, and Maurer's recording is mostly in the nature of an attempt to get a grasp on the 1576 publication of "Intavolatura de cimbalo" -- keyboard tablatures -- that gives the album its title. Little is known of composer Antonio Valente except that he was a likely blind keyboardist who issued this book. It's interesting on several counts. The one to which Maurer devotes the most space in her notes (in German, English, and French) is the unique tablature, created by Valente himself and featuring both numerals and hand indications. An example is included, but it's too small to see in...
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