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Donizetti's Cantata Canto d'Ugolinoremarks
by Ian Caddy on the recent publication of the vocal and orchestral
scores
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The autograph manuscript of Introduzione is in Naples and the Requiem 'per Bellini' was requested for Naples. I wonder if Donizetti found that these introductory chords of Canto d'Ugolino produced such an association with grief that they were a death-fanfare, which he could use in Naples to conjure a foreboding of grief instantly, thereafter. Although, in 1989, I recorded the cantata with Melvyn Tan on a fortepiano (see here for details and excerpt), I had felt sure, in view of its history, that it was originally written for orchestra rather than piano and asked Ian Schofield to orchestrate the piece because of his considerable knowledge and experience of early 19th century music, for example, his editions of many 19th century Italian opera scores for Opera Rara. Ian took his lead from the orchestral score of Donizetti's L'esule di Roma, an edition of which he has since prepared for publication by the Donizetti Society (see here for details). Our assumption was that, as it was a benefit concert for Lablache, it would have been at the Teatro San Carlo and thus have used their orchestra. Thus Ian based his orchestration on that of L'esule. |
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Both full and vocal scores are available from Caddy Publishing and the parts available for hire.
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Page initially published : March 2009
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