Carlos Seixas (1704-1742): Harpsichord Concerto / Symphony / Overture

00:00 Concerto em Lá maior para cravo e orquestra: Allegro - Adagio - Giga: Allegro 08:23 Sinfonía em Si bemol: Allegro - Adagio - Minuete: Allegro 16:42 Abertura em Ré maior: Staccato: Grave, Allegro assai, Staccato: Grave, Andante - Siciliana: Andantino - Minuete 24:46 Concerto em Sol menor para cravo e orquestra (Anonymous): Allegro - Adagio - Allegro János Sebestyén, harpsichord - Ferenc Liszt Chamber Orchestra - János Rolla, leader Gravação: Estúdios HUNGAROTON (Budapest) Concertos para cravo de 12 a 14 de Março de 1982 Abertura e Sinfonia de 28 de Maio a 2 de Junho de 1984 Lista essencial das obras de Carlos Seixas: 105 Sonatas para instrumentos de tecla Abertura Sinfonía Concerto para cravo e orquestra de cámara 1 Missa a quatro vozes e baixo continuo 7 Responsórios Art: Ribeira Palace before its destruction in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake The 18th century, especially the first half, was a period of grandiose splendour in Portugal and indeed in the rest of Europe. During King João V´s reign (1706-1750), the court of Lisbon was regarded as one of the most lavish and magnificent on the European continent. After a long period of poverty and economic decadence, the Crown, the Nobility and the Church began at this time to have immense riches at their disposal thanks to the abundant mines of stones and precious metals in Brazil. The atmosphere created by such courtly opulence greatly boosted all the arts including music. One begins to notice a distinct turn towards the artistic ideals of Central Europe, principally through King João V who had personal knowledge of the musical tradition of Germany and Austria through his mother, Queen Maria Sophia of Pfalz-Neuburg and also through his wife Queen Maria Anna of Austria. The great passion that both King João V and his son, the future King José I (1750-1777) had for opera accounts for the preponderance of Italian music, the style and sound of which was firmly imprinted on all Portuguese musicians of the 1700s. Many Italian musicians, such as Domenico Scarlatti, Giovanni Giorgi and David Perez came to live in Portugal at this time, working as choirmasters, singers, instrumentalists or as music tutors at the Royal Court or in the houses of the nobility. A series of young Portuguese musicians who had been trained at the new Patriarchal Seminary of the Cathedral in Lisbon were sent to Italy by the King for farther study in their art. And so, as from around 1730, we find the most important positions in the country´s musical life going increasingly to musicians who, because of their studies in Italy, caused the predominance of the Italian musical style in Portugal to grow yet farther. Carlos Seixas was born in Coimbra in 1704 and at the early age of fourteen, shortly after the death of his father and teacher, became organist of the cathedral in that city. As from 1720, Seixas is found in Lisbon as organist and harpsichordist at the court chapel and at the Patriarchal Seminary, of which Domenico Scarlatti was artistic director from 1720 to 1729. He was highly regarded for his musical talent and up until his early death in 1742 was the favourite keyboard tutor in the noble houses in the capital. Only a small number of his compositions have come down to us and none of the manuscripts in the libraries of either Lisbon or Coimbra can be regarded as original autographs. The great earthquake of 1755 which also destroyed the musical library of the Royal Palace must also have been responsible for the loss of numerous pieces by Carlos Seixas. Diogo Barbosa Machado who published the ¨Biblioteca Lusitana¨ (Lisbon, 1741-59) and who was a personal friend of Carlos Seixas, mentions no fewer than 700 pieces for keyboard by this composer, today we know of only about a hundred Sonatas all of which have been published in modern editions. Apart form these there are two pieces for string orchestra, a concerto for harpsichord and strings and various liturgical works, which are to be found in manuscripts in the libraries of Lisbon and Coimbra. This record contains the two string orchestra pieces mentioned above and the harpsichord concerto together with another concerto for the same instrumental grouping by an anonymous composer. The Simphony in Bb major for string orchestra and continuo (published by Pierre Salzmann in ¨Portugaliae Musica¨ vol. XVII, Lisbon 1969) is of the Italian overture type with its typical fast-slow-fast sequence of short movements. The fresh and joyful first and third movements frame a lyrical central movement in the relative minor key: the third movement is a Minuet - one of Carlos Seixas favourite forms. In the second movement the first violin follows the custom of Italian slow movements in achieving a certain independence while generally plays in unison with the second.