Canzon franzese quarta

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Musical Terms (4)

• affetti Italian
  In Frescobaldi's toccatas, \"affetti\" designates the meditative, harmonically dense, slow-moving sections that alternate with the faster passaggi (running passages) and contrapuntal bursts. These sections are characterised by sustained dissonances (durezze), expressive suspensions, chromatic voice-leading, and a quality of inward contemplation — the musical equivalent of the Baroque doctrine of the \"passions of the soul.\" Frescobaldi writes in his Avvertimenti (preface to Toccate I): \"The beginning of a toccata should be played slowly and arpeggiando... the passages which appear in the middle of a piece should be played according to the emotion [affetto] which the music requires.\"
  When you reach an affetto section — recognisable by a sudden slowing of note-values, sustained harmonies, and a denser chromatic texture — change your touch, tempo, and tone decisively. The passaggio before it may have been brilliant and fast; the affetto must feel genuinely slower and more inward. Do not hold a strict pulse; let the dissonances ring and resolve expressively. The affetto is the emotional core of the toccata, not an interlude.
• alla levatione Italian
  At the Elevation — the moment during the Roman Catholic Mass when the priest raises the consecrated Host and chalice. In 17th-century Italian practice, the organist played a piece of special devotional character at this moment, providing a sustained, meditative sound to deepen the congregation's contemplation. Frescobaldi composed several of his most sublime pieces specifically for this occasion: the famous Toccata cromatica per le levatione from Fiori musicali (Messa della Domenica), the Toccata quarta per l'organo da sonarsi alla levatione from Toccate II, and the elevation toccatas for the Apostoli and Madonna masses. These pieces are distinguished by their chromatic intensity, slow tempo, and dense affetti texture.
  Play an alla levatione piece as if time has stopped. The tempo must be genuinely slow, without any sense of pulse or forward drive — it is music for a moment of stillness. The chromatic voice-leading should be allowed full resonance: on the organ, a soft but rich registration (flutes or principals at 8' and 4' without mixture) is appropriate. On the harpsichord or piano, arpeggiate all chords slowly and let each sonority decay naturally. The elevation toccatas in Fiori musicali are among the most concentrated and deeply felt pieces in the keyboard literature.
• avvertimenti Italian
  Performer's instructions or \"warnings to the reader\" — the prefaces included by Frescobaldi at the beginning of his major keyboard publications, most notably those in Toccate I (1615/1637) and the Capricci (1624). These prefaces are among the most detailed and important performance practice documents of the early Baroque period. The Avvertimenti to Toccate I (11 points in the 1616 edition, expanded in 1637) address: tempo management, the treatment of barlines, the arpeggiation of chords, the timing of ornaments, the relationship between sections of contrasting character, and the performer's discretion in choosing which passages to play. They are the essential companion to all Frescobaldi keyboard performance.
  Read the Avvertimenti before practising any Frescobaldi toccata or capriccio. Key principles: (1) do not be enslaved by the barline — it exists for coordination, not metrical rigidity; (2) begin slowly and arpeggiated; (3) the end of a run before a cadence may be hurried slightly; (4) affetti sections require a slower, more expressive pace; (5) a cadence at the end of a section is a punctuation mark — allow time before continuing. These instructions were radical in 1615 and they remain the key to understanding why a Frescobaldi toccata is so different from everything that preceded it.
• durezze Italian
  Harsh dissonances — in Baroque keyboard practice, a compositional technique of deliberately introducing suspended dissonances that are held and resolved in unexpected, harsh ways. Frescobaldi's \"Capriccio di durezze\" (Capricci, 1624) and the famous \"Toccata cromatica per le levatione\" (Fiori musicali) explore this technique systematically: chains of dissonant intervals create an atmosphere of suspended tension and concentrated emotional intensity appropriate to the elevation of the Host during Mass. Durezze are a hallmark of the Italian stylus phantasticus and a precursor to the expressive chromaticism of later Baroque composers.
  In a passage of durezze, do not resolve early or smooth over the dissonances — they are the point. Let each suspended dissonance ring fully before moving to the resolution; the slow decay of the organ (or harpsichord with careful pedalling) amplifies the effect. On the modern piano, use the sustain pedal thoughtfully, but avoid blurring inner voices. The affetto must feel tense and uncomfortable before releasing into resolution. This is deliberate and expressive ugliness in service of profound feeling.