Was John Coprario taking credit for someone else's work when, under his own name, he made transcriptions of more than fifty Italian madrigals for a consort of viols? Such an accusation would be based on false premises, as anything resembling copyright was unknown at the beginning of the seventeenth century and for long afterwards; the use of musical material by someone else was rather considered as a respectful examination of ideas that were so promising that one wanted to think them through further. When transcribing these Italian madrigals, Coprario was not only extending an established tradition but also transcending it. He did not simply omit the text in his madrigal fantasias as had been customary in the 16th century, but also took the polyphonic setting even further, enriching it with instrumental possibilities that voices alone could not match. He also rearranged certain parts so that the original vocal work is not always immediately recognizable. Coprario, besides being one of the first to give ensemble music an instrumental identity, was no musical parrot, but an ingenious parodist.

Tracklist:

Come dal ciel
Fantasie 6
Io son ferito, ahi lasso
Fantasie 2
Fantasia Cor mio
Fantasia Il vago
vago e lieto aspetto
Vattene pur, crudel, con quella pace~La tra 'l sangue e le morti
Fantasia Latral (parte seconda)
O voi che sospirate a miglior note
Fantasia O voi che sospirate
Caggia fuoco dal cielo
Fantasie La Caccia
Fuggi se sai fuggir
Gitene Ninfe
Fantasia Gitene Ninfe
Fantasia O che vezzosa
O che vezzosa Aurora
Udite, lagrimosi Spirti d'Averno
Fantasia Udite, lagrimosi spirti

UPC: 4250128521079
Label: Ramee
Release Date: 9.9.22
Format: CD

Coprario / Hathor Consort / Pluto-Ensemble - Parrot or Ingenious Parodist (CD)