BERNARDO PASQUINI: A CONTEMPORARY OF J. KUHNAU
In the year 1637 was born at Massa de Valnevola (Tuscany) Bernardo
Pasquini,[48] who is said to have been one of the most distinguished
performers on the organ and also the harpsichord. He studied under
Loreto Vittori and Antonio Cesti, but his real master was evidently
Palestrina, whose scores young Bernardo studied with fervent zeal. He
was appointed organist of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, and, according
to the monument erected to his memory by his nephew, Bernardo
Ricordati, and his pupil, Bernardo Gaffi, in the church of San Lorenzo
in Lucina of that city, the composer was for a time in the service of
Battista, Prince Borghese. The inscription runs thus:--
"D.O.M.
"Bernardo Pasquino Hetrusco e Massa Vallis Nevolæ Liberianæ Basilicæ
S.P.Q.R. Organedo viro probitate vitæ et moris lepore laudatissimo qui
Excell. Jo. Bap. Burghesii Sulmonensium Principis clientela et
munificentia honestatus musicis modulis apud omnes fere Europæ
Principes nominis gloriam adeptus anno sal. MDCCX. die XXII. Novembris
S. Ceciliæ sacro ab Humanis excessit ut cujus virtutes et studia
prosecutus fuerat in terris felicius imitaretur in coelis. Bernardus
Gaffi discipulus et Bernardus Ricordati ex sorore nepos præceptori et
avunculo amantissimo moerentes monumentum posuere. Vixit annos LXXII.
menses XI. dies XIV."
Pasquini enjoyed reputation as a dramatic composer, and the success of
an opera of his performed at the Teatro Capranica, Rome, during the
festivities in honour of Queen Christina of Sweden (1679), is
specially noted; or, according to Mendel, he wrote two successful
operas, one for the opening of the Teatro Capranica, and a second for
the festivals. He also wrote an oratorio: _La Sete di Christo_.
Pasquini died in the year 1710.
But, it will be asked, Why is he mentioned in a book which is
concerned with the sonata? It is known that he was a skilful performer
on the harpsichord, and some Toccatas and Suites of his appear to have
been published in a collection of clavier music at Amsterdam in 1704.
Fétis, in his _Biographie Universelle des Musiciens_, even states that
he wrote sonatas for _gravicembalo_. Here are his words:--
"Landsberg possédait un recueil manuscrit original de pièces d'orgue
de Pasquini, dont j'ai extrait deux toccates, composées en 1697. Ce
manuscrit est indiqué d'une manière inexacte dans le catalogue de la
bibliothèque de ce professeur (Berlin, 1859) de cette manière:
Pasquini (Bernardo) _Sonate pei Gravicembalo_ (libro prezioso). Volume
grosso _E scritto di suo (sua) mano in questo libro_. Ce même
catalogue indiqué aussi de Bernard Pasquini: _Saggi di
contrapunto_--Anno 1695. Volume forte. _E scritto di suo (sua) mano in
questo libro_. Malheureusement ces précieux ouvrages sont passés en
Amérique avec toute la bibliothèque musicale du professeur Landsberg."
Whether these precious volumes actually went to America seems
doubtful. Anyhow both volumes are now safely housed in the Berlin
Royal Library. It may be mentioned that the first contains no real
sonata: its contents consist principally of suites, toccatas,
variations, and fugues.
In the story of Italian instrumental music, Pasquini is little more
than a name. The fourth volume of A.W. Ambros' _History of Music_
concludes thus:--"So ist uns von dem gerühmten Meister nichts
geblieben, als seine Name u. seine stolze Grabschrift in San Lorenzo
in Lucina." (Thus of the famous master (_i.e._ Pasquini) nothing
remains except his name and his proud monument in San Lorenzo in
Lucina). The writer of the article "D. Scarlatti," in Sir George
Grove's _Dictionary of Music and Musicians_, remarks that the famous
harpsichord player and composer "has been called a pupil of Bernardo
Pasquini." But he considers this "most improbable, seeing that
Pasquini was of the school of Palestrina, and wrote entirely in the
contrapuntal style, whereas Domenico Scarlatti's chief interest is
that he was the first composer who studied the peculiar
characteristics of the free style of the harpsichord."
Of Pasquini as a performer on the harpsichord, Mattheson relates "how
on his visit to Rome he found Corelli playing the violin, Pasquini the
harpsichord, and Gattani the lute, all in the orchestra of the
Opera-house." And, once more, in the notice of Pasquini in the same
dictionary, we are informed that the composer "exercised a certain
influence on German musicians." In C.F. Weitzmann's _Geschichte des
Clavierspiels_ there is an interesting reference to some Toccatas of
Pasquini published in "Toccates et suites pour le clavecin de MM.
Pasquini, Paglietti et Gaspard Kerle, Amsterdam, Roger, 1704." A
Toccata was published (most probably one of those in the above work)
by I. Walsh in his
Second Collection
of
Toccates, Vollentarys and Fugues
made on purpose for the
Organ and Harpsichord
Compos'd by
Pasquini, Polietti
and others
The most Eminent Foreign Authors.
Of Polietti,[49] court organist at Vienna before J.S. Bach was born,
Emil Naumann has, by the way, given an interesting account in an
article "Ein bisher unbekannt gebliebener Vorgänger Seb. Bach's unter
den Italienern" (_Neue Berl. Mus.-Ztg._ Jahrgang 29). The Toccatas of
Pasquini, published by Roger, and a so-called "Sonata,"[50] printed by
Weitzmann in the work just referred to, constitute, we believe, all
that has hitherto appeared in print of this composer.
And yet surely Pasquini may lay claim to a place in the history of
instrumental music and the sonata, for he not only wrote suites, but
also sonatas for the harpsichord, or, to be quite exact, for two
harpsichords. Some, at any rate, of his music is to be found in the
British Museum. There are three volumes (Add. MSS. 31,501-3). On the
fly-leaf of the first is written:--
"Ad Usum Bernardi Felicij Ricordati de Baggiano in Etruria."
Then comes in pencil a note probably made when the volumes came into
the possession of the British Museum:--
"These are original MSS. by the hand of Bernardo Pasquini, 1637-1710,
the greatest organist of Italy in the second half of the 17th century,
and written for his nephew B. Ricordati. They are the only MSS. of
Pasquini known to be in Europe. This vol. is dated at the end, Dec.
3, 1704; at the beginning, May 6, 1703."
And now for its contents. The first piece is a short suite,[51]
consisting of a Tastata (the old term for Prelude), a Corrente and an
Aria; and it shows that Pasquini could write homophonic as well as
polyphonic music. Then follows a piece in the key of D major, headed
"A due Cembali, 1704, Bernardo Pasquini,"
which consists of three movements. First one commencing with chords,
after which, fugal imitation. Next we have a fugal movement, like the
preceding one, in common time; lastly, one in six-eight time. All
three movements are in the same key. The part for each cembalo is
written on a separate stave, the one below the other. Only the bass
notes are written, and the upper parts are indicated by figures. But
this will be clearer presently, for we shall give one or more
illustrations. At the close of the six-eight movement is written
_fine_, and on the following page another piece begins in C major,
marked merely 2a, commencing thus:--
[Music illustration]
This theme reminds one of Bach's Adagio from the 2nd Organ Concerto--
[Music illustration]
or even Handel's "Along the Monster Atheist strode."[52] The movements
of this second piece are similar in structure and character to those
of the first. Next we have a piece of lighter character in two
movements, and, apparently, for one cembalo: there is, of course, only
one bass part (figured). At the commencement is merely marked _Basso
continuo_. The following piece is headed 3a Sonata (3rd Sonata). It is
in the key of D minor, and it has three movements, all in the same
key. Now, as all the pieces for _two cembali_ in the volume after this
are marked as sonatas, coupled with the fact that before this 3rd
Sonata there are two pieces for two cembali, the latter of which is
marked 2a (second), we may conclude that these two are also sonatas.
The piece for one cembalo between the 2nd and 3rd Sonatas is, as we
have remarked, of lighter character, and was possibly considered a
suite. After the 3rd Sonata comes a fourth, then a _Basso continuo_
(containing, however, by exception, more than one suite), and so on,
alternately, until the 14th Sonata is reached. Then follows the last
piece in the volume. The superscription, "For one _or_ two
cembali,"[53] leads us to believe that the preceding _Basso continuo_
numbers were intended for one cembalo. It should be stated that
movements in binary form are rare among the sonatas, frequent among
the _Basso continuo_ pieces,--another reason for considering the
latter suites.
The structure of the 3rd Sonata[54] is extremely simple. The first,
probably an Allegro moderato, opens with a bold characteristic phrase,
which is repeated in the second bar by the second cembalo; points of
imitation, in fact, continue throughout the movement. At the seventh
bar there is modulation to the dominant, and at the ninth, to the
subdominant, in which the opening theme recurs. A stately antiphonal
passage leads back to the principal key, and the movement concludes
with a cadence such as we find in many a work of Bach's or Handel's.
The Adagio opens with short phrases for each instrument alternately. A
new subject in the relative major is treated in imitative fashion.
After a return to the opening theme, also an allusion to the second
theme, a new figure is introduced, but the movement soon comes to a
close. This slow movement brings to one's mind "The Lord is a Man of
War," and the major section of the duet, "Thou in Thy Mercy," in
Handel's _Israel in Egypt_. The third movement, in structure, much
resembles the first; the music is broad and vigorous. The closing bars
suggest the stringendo passage and presto bars in the coda of the
Scherzo of the "Choral Symphony." Of course it is disappointing to
have only the bass parts for each instrument. The volume, as we have
already stated, was for the use of Ricordati, and probably the uncle
and nephew performed these sonatas together. Musicians will be able to
write out the figured basses, and thus form some idea of the music.
The figures are an outline of what was in the composer's mind; but
these basses, like those of Bach and Handel, so simple, so clear to
the composers who penned them, will always remain more or less a _crux
criticorum_. It will be noticed that the three movements, as in some
of Corelli's sonatas, are all in the same key.
We now give the opening bars of the three movements of the piece for
one or two cembali:--
[Music illustration]
All the other sonatas are more or less after the pattern of the one
given. The other two volumes contain suites, airs with variations,
arias, and a quantity of short figured basses, apparently as studies.
Before closing this short chapter we will add a word or two about
Italian music for the harpsichord at the beginning of the eighteenth
century. A recent writer remarks that "Domenico Scarlatti seems to
spring full-armed into the view of history." But his father, the
renowned opera-writer, Alessandro Scarlatti, wrote music for the
harpsichord, also his pupil, Gaëtano Grieco, who succeeded him as
Professor at the Conservatorio dei poveri di Gesù Cristo (Naples) in
1717. The influence of the master can be clearly traced in the music
of the pupil; and, if one may judge from the simpler character of
Grieco's music[55] as compared with that of D. Scarlatti, he, too, was
a predecessor. Grieco is said to have been born about 1680; D.
Scarlatti was born in 1683; but this, of course, decides nothing as to
the dates of their compositions. The harpsichord music of G. Grieco
has both character and charm, and it is indeed strange that none of
his pieces have been included either in the _Trésor des Pianistes_,
the _Maîtres du Clavecin_, or Pauer's Collections of old music.
This chapter is headed: "A Contemporary of Kuhnau." The latter
published all his known sonatas by the year 1700, while the dates
assigned to the Pasquini sonata volume are, as we have seen, 1703-4.
But at that time Pasquini was over sixty years of age; it is therefore
more than probable that he was really the predecessor of the German
master as a writer of clavier sonatas.