Organ Music of Spain and Spanish America

Arlene Ward, organist

From the Liner Notes:

Our knowledge of the origins of Iberian organ music in the sixteenth century derives from two works, the Declaracion de instrumentos musicales (1549 and 1555) by the Franciscan Juan Bermudo, and the Arte de taner fantasia, assi para tecla como para vihuela, y todo instrumento (1565) by the Dominican Tomás de Santa María. The first of these texts is written for beginning organists—and who are informed by the author that it will take them twenty years to master the instrument; both works are treatises on the subject of keyboard music. They describe manner of playing, especially fingering, the art of ornamentation, andcontain numerous imitative works, grouped in pairs.

Of several early collections of organ music printed in Spain, the collection by “Antonio” (de Cabezon) is outstanding.

John Klein’s research traces the musical ancestry of Santa María and Cabezon back to the Netherlands Renaissance composers Willaert, Josquin des Pres, and Okeghem.

Two forms especially flourished in early Spanish organ music: the tiento, and variation writing. The tiento (a piece to “try out”) is the basic term for the general “organ piece,” and could be in virtually any form, for example the ricercar, fantasia, prelude or toccata, and may be sometimes strictly contrapuntal, sometimes an ornamented melody accompanied by chords. Tientos are frequently written in several contrasting sections, with different tempi and meter. The word “ton” in the title refers to specific church modes; ex. the first tone is in the Dorian mode.

Track List:

01) Litany 3, Norberto Guinaldo [3:21]

02) Sonatina in Fa Menor, Anselm Viola [4:25]

03) Medio Registro Alto de Primer Tono, Francisco Peraza [2:59]

04) Tiento de IV, Antonio de Cabezon [3:18]

05) Tiento de Medio Registro de Tiple de 8. Tono, Pablo Bruna [4:10]

06) Canción de Mataila de Sexto Tono, Jose Jimenez [4:35]

07) Tocata en Do Major de Ma Esquerra, Juan Cabanílles [2:53]

08) Paso en Do Major, Narcis Casanovas [3:30]

09) Tiento de Falsas de Cuarto Tono, Sebastián Aguiléra de Herédia [4:27]

10) Paso Suelto, Tomás de Santa María [1:43]

11) Procesion y Saeta, José Jesús Estrada [9:36]

12) Chacona, Estrada [9:32]

Recording Information:

Recorded at Keller Hall, University of New Mexico
Portions recorded before a live audience

Recording Engineer: Manny Rettinger/Ubik Studios
Photography: Steve Donahue
Art Design: Jorgie Winsberg
Manufactured by: www.desotoprod.com

Arlene Ward can also be heard on the UNM release, Johann Sebastian Bach.