The Three Fountains: Music for Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio (2020)
Folger Consort performed "The Three Fountains: Music for Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio" from March 6th to March 8th 2020 at St. Marks on Capitol Hill.
The lyrical art of Trecento composers was inspired by the poets known as Italy's Three Fountains: Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio. Musicians such as Lorenzo da Firenze, Jacopo da Bologna, and Francesco Landini excelled in setting the poetry of these masters in a graceful and melodic style that was different from the music of their contemporaries. Vocal music is complemented by virtuoso instrumental music with fiddles, harp, lute, citole, and bagpipes. The program also included the world premiere of Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek's Questa Gentilissima Donna, a vocal setting of a text from Dante's La vita nuova. With instrumentalists Dan Meyers, Mary Springfels, and vocal trio ModernMedieval Voices.
Program:
Musical settings by Lorenzo da Firenze of texts by Boccaccio: Non so qual io mi voglia, Come in sul fonte, and A poste messe
Musical settings of texts by Petrarch: I'senti matutino by Andrea Stefani ; La fiera testa by Niccolò da Perugia ; In verde prato and Non al su amante by Jacopo da Bologna ; De bon parole by Nucella ; Ciaramella by Antonio "Zacara" de Teramo
A world premiere musical setting of a text by Dante: Questa Gentilissima Donna by Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek
Vocal music by Franceso Landini: Per seguir la sperança ; Gran piant'agli occhi ; Non dò la colpa' a te ; La dolce vista ; Angelica biltà ; Ecco la primavera
Instrumental arrangements of music from the British Museum manuscript, Additional 29987: Tre fontane ; Lamento di Tristano ; La rota ; Salterello ; Chominciamento di gioia ; Ghaetta
Instrumental arrangement of Bel fiore dança from the Faenza Codex
Artists
Folger Consort
Artistic Director
Robert Eisenstein: Viol
Christopher Kendall: Lute
Guest Artists
Dan Meyers:Winds
Mary Springfels: Viol