Italian Organ Music - A Classic Article on the History of Italian Organ Compositions

By C. Abdy Williams

This volume contains a vintage article on the subject of Italian organ music, being a detailed history of its origins and development with reference to notable players and composers. “Italian Organ Music” will appeal to those with a love of this fabulous instrument, and it is not to be missed by those interested in it's colourful history and evolution in Europe. Contents include: “Landino”, “The Several Kinds of Ancient Organ”, “Organs at St. Mark's”, “Venice”, “Zuchetti”, “Organum Magnum and Organum Parvum”, “Organists and Organ Builder”, “Squarcialupo”, “Willaert”, “Buus”, “The Music at St. Mark's”, “The Earliest Printed Italian Organ Music”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on the history of the organ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Oct 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781473358560

Book preview

Music.

ITALIAN ORGAN MUSIC.

Landino—The several kinds of ancient organ—Organs at St. Mark’s, Venice—Zucchetti—Organum magnum and organum parvum—Organist and organ-builder—Sguarcialupo—Willaert—Buus—The music at St. Mark’s—The earliest printed Italian organ music.

Landino

MODERN organ-playing began in Italy, and its first representative who became celebrated was Francesco Landino; he was born in A.D. 1325, and died in 1390, and was buried in the church of St. Lorenzo at Florence. A contemporary writer says of him:—The whole assembly is excited by his organ-playing, the young dance and sing, the old hum with him: all are enchanted. He draws wonders from the little organ: the birds cease their song, and in their astonishment draw near to listen, especially a nightingale, which sits on a twig over his head and above his organ.¹ In those days the church organ was a clumsy and intractable machine, without stops, and with keys six inches broad, which had to be played with the fist—such at least was the case in France, Germany, and England, and there is no reason to imagine that the Italian church organs were in advance of those of other nations. The organ was used to accompany the plainsong in unison, and to attract the congregation to church by its noise, just as bells are used now: artistic playing was not possible, nor was it required, for the unlettered congregation would not have appreciated it; but there is no doubt that they liked noise, provided there was plenty of it.

It was not, however, on the organa magna that Landino made his fame, and he does not appear to have ever held an appointment as a church organist. But in the castles and courts of the aristocracy there were two kinds of organ, each with a practicable keyboard, such as can be seen in many of the paintings of the old Italian artists. The first of these was called the Positive, since, though it could easily be moved from place to place, it had to be placed in position for playing. It was often circular and tower-shaped, like the old hydraulus in form, and had sometimes two or more rows of