Tarabbia, Christian
A Passo Di Danza-organ Music Dance Themes & Variations
Although it might seem odd, in our modern eyes, that dance music be played on the organ, in fact this was far from uncommon in the Baroque era. In the palaces of the European nobility, many small organs were found; with their timbral palette, they were considered as miniature orchestras, and provided for the entertainment of their aristocratic owners. This Da Vinci Classics album offers a fascinating panorama on works either explicitly written for the organ, or at least satisfactorily playable on it, and which have unmistakable features of dance. From the French Lully to Italians such as Storace and Vivaldi, from Germans such as Scheidt, Kerll and Scheidemann to Englishmen such as Byrd and Dowland, up to the Spaniards Martn y Coll and Cabanilles, without neglecting Netherlanders or Flemish composers such as Sweelinck or those whose works are collected in the Susanne van Soldts Manuscript: an Europewide movement of creativity in which dance (either solemn or lively, majestic or brilliant) was practiced, loved, and taught, finding outlets even in the most unexpected contexts.