The Hunt by the elder Striggio appears in three surviving printed editions which accordings to the library catalogues, are incomplete in various ways, and only one of them can be fully pieced together again.
( 1567) The Chattering of the washerwomen and The Hunt by Alessandro Striggio with a Lament of Dido to Aeneas on his departure by Cipriano Rore for four, six and seven voices. Newly published by Giulio Bonagionta da San Genesi musician of the Most IIlust. Governors of Venice in St. Mark's [...] In Venice MDLXVII at Girolamo Scotto's.
Seven 4° part-books; C., A., T:, B. and Q. in the Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique in Brussels.
(1569) The Chattering of the washerwomen and The Hunt by Alessandro Striggio for four, five, six and seven voices, with the Game of primero for five voices by the same newly added [...] In Venice, at Girolamo Scotto's MDLXIX.
Seven 4" part-books; A., T., S., Sev. at the Riccardiana Library in Florence, and B. in Bologna Civic Museum Music Library.
(1584) Title as above; after the publisher's device, there is: In Vinegia at the heir of Girolamo Scotto's MDLXXXIII.
Seven 4° part-books, partly in the British Museum in London (T., B., Q., S. and Sev.) and partly in the S. Cecilia Conservatoire Library in Rome (e., A., B., Q. and S.).
I was drawn to learn more about this work by the title and the way it was placed alongside the other well-known dialogical works of Striggio in the old libri. As The Hunt proved to be a particular, delightful product of his lively mind, I decided to prepare a modem edition in the hope that this gay variegated polyphony thus made available will attract the attention of choral groups (a chamber performance seems less indicated, I feel).
While the composer has left the stately paths of the noble madrigal to gain inspiration from imaginary popular dialogues in Chattering and Game of primero, where wit and plain truths devoid of courtly niceties sparkle in jocund repartee, he treads another path in The Hunt to reach originaI goals. As in the former works, the technique is of madrigal type as regards the body of voices, with polyphonic progressions and period curves, but has drawn suggestions from a flowing and true-to-life narrative. We' are taken on a hunting party on Guglielmo Gonzaga's land, over-hearing the Shouts of encouragement, the orders given by an invisible personage in charge of the proceedings (with all its modesty, such «poetry» lends itself so well to a «musical setting» that it seems to have been provided by Striggio himself) ... (more)
| |
