The cello's evolution in Italy
Italy is considered the birthplace of the cello, which first appeared with the emergence of the violin family in the early 16th century, with several centers identified around Milan, Mantua, Ferrara, and Venice. Initially, the cello was part of ensembles of three to six violins of different sizes, providing dance music and entertainment at Italian courts, until the rise of Baroque music, which emphasized the solo character of instruments. It was in Emilia-Romagna (Bologna and Modena) that the first sonatas dedicated to the cello were written, closely followed by the Neapolitan school, renowned for developing the “thumb position,” which allowed the instrument to reach higher notes.
Pergolesi and Lanzetti both came from Neapolitan conservatories, which trained some of the most important composers and instrumentalists of the early 18th century. Lanzetti later brought his expertise to England, passing through Paris, where he impressed audiences at the Concert Spirituel in 1736 - the same audience that had greatly admired Vivaldi's Four Seasons in 1728. Vivaldi himself left us around a dozen sonatas for the cello, six of which were published in Paris in 1740, while three others remained in manuscript form. However, it was with Luigi Boccherini - considered one of the greatest Classical composers alongside Mozart and Haydn - that the cello sonata reached its highest artistic peaks, laying the foundations, along with a few other cellists of his time, for the “modern technique” of the instrument.
Musicians:
- Anna Liets - cello
- Marie Ponseels - cello
- Dominiek Riepe - harpsichord
Program:
- Music by G.B. Pergolesi (1710-1736), S. Lanzetti (1710-1780), A. Vivaldi (1678-1741), L. Boccherini (1743-1805)
