Gail
Archer Brings Barbara Strozzi's Music to Life
in Barbara Strozzi: Arias and Duets, A
New CD from Dorian Recordings
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Gail
Archer
|
New
York, N.Y., July 11, 2001--It took more than three
centuries, but thanks to Barnard Professor of
Music Gail Archer, a set of cantatas by the leading
woman composer of the 17th century is now available
to modern-day singers and listeners.
Archer's modern edition of Cantate ariete a
una, due, e tre voci Op. 3., by composer Barbara
Strozzi (1619-after 1664) was recently published
by A-R Editions, the leading U.S. publisher of
modern editions of early music. Archer also created
a complementary recording, Barbara Strozzi:
Arias and Duets, on CD from Dorian Recordings.
"Strozzi
makes music ornamental" says Archer. "She gives
each section of poetry its own music, and has
a very sensitive way of handling the text that
makes it live for people."
Strozzi's work stands out for two other reasons:
she flourished as a musician during a time when
women musicians were seen as "persons of questionable
virtue;" and, she was incredibly productive. She
published more of her work - 100 pieces in total
- than any other 17th century composer. Other
prominent composers during her time, such as Carissimi
and Rossi, published a mere 3 percent of her output.
She was not only a prolific composer, but also
an avid lutenist, who accompanied and sang her
own work.
She
was able to advance as a musician because she
was born illegitimately to distinguished Venetian
scholar and playwright Giulio Rossi, who wrote
for many prominent composers, and was part of
the Accademia degli Incogniti, a group of men
who were a major cultural and political force
in Venice at the time. Through his auspices, she
was able to cultivate her musical talent with
Francesco Cavalli, the prominent composer and
her mentor.
Although now widely recognized as the leading
woman composer of the 17th century, at the time
she was unable to secure any professional employment
for herself, while her male counterparts could
hold major posts in church, court, and theatre.
Yet despite her setbacks, Barbara Strozzi was
still able to flourish as an artist and performer
in Venice, the publishing center of Europe and
a place considered quite liberal at the time.
Archer's
goal in making a modern edition of the work was
"to make this music legible for the average modern
singer." To do that, she spent hours transcribing
the music from the original manuscript, the only
surviving copy, in the British Library in London.
According to Archer, the rudimentary print technology
during Strozzi's time led to many errors in the
music.
"It
wasn't that Strozzi didn't know how to write music,"
she explains, "but that the method of printing
was not that advanced in the 17th century." The
music had no bar lines, and the words underneath
the notes were very difficult to read. Archer's
task was to make numerous editorial decisions
on the piece based on her knowledge of 17th century
music and culture.
She
was inspired to transcribe and translate the 17th
century manuscript for her dissertation at the
Manhattan School of Music, under the guidance
of her mentor, David Noon, the Dean of Academics.
To understand Strozzi's music, she researched
other documents, texts, and manuscripts from the
period.
The
work contains 11 cantatas altogether: 6 solo cantatas
for soprano, 1 duet for soprano and bass, two
duets for soprano and alto, and two trios for
soprano, alto and bass. Besides revising the music
used in the recording, Archer wrote the critical
notes for the CD, as well as the song translations.
Christine Brandes, Jennifer Lane, and Kurt-Owen
Richards perform, with Eric Milnes, of New York
Baroque, as director.
As Director of the Music Program at Barnard College,
Gail Archer is also conductor of the Barnard-Columbia
Chorus. The Barnard faculty selected her as the
recipient of the Bank of New York Teaching Excellence
Award for academic year 1999-2000. She is also
a member of the music history faculty at the Manhattan
School of Music, and music director and organist
at All Saints Episcopal Church in Manhattan. Archer
holds a D.M.A. (Doctor of Musical Arts) in organ
performance from the Manhattan School of Music.
She is currently a candidate for the Artist Diploma
at the Boston Conservatory where she studies with
James David Christie.
Her
most recent recitals include King's Chapel, Boston;
the Church of the Epiphany, Washington D.C.; and
Arizona State University, Tempe, where she premiered
her own organ transcription of Strozzi's Il
Lamento, a vocal piece from Cantate ariete
a una, due e tre voci Op. 3. Archer will soon
play Il Lamento in Italy, where she has
been invited to perform at Saluzzo Cathedral in
Turin. It will be an opportunity to bring Strozzi's
work home to where it started, and share it with
the descendants of her first listeners.
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Contact:
Laya Saludo, Public Affairs Intern, 212-854-2037
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