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Lamentarium
Tears of Artemisia · Helen of Troy
Mary Magdalene · The Blessed Virgin

Luigi Rossi
Marco Marazzoli
Domenico Mazzocchi
Marc’Antonio Pasqualini

ATALANTE
ERIN HEADLEY

www.DestinoClassics.com ‘Extravagant, exotic beauty…’ DESTINO

Worldwide distribution in association with Nimbus Alliance The Observer CLASSICS
RELIQUIE DI ROMA I: Lamentarium
1 Passacaglia del Seigneur Louigi (inst)
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale,Vma. 651
Luigi Rossi (1597-1653) 2.49 ATALANTE
2 Cadute erano al fine * † Marco Marazzoli (1602-1662) 10.27
(Lament of the aged Helen of Troy)
Rome,Vatican Library, Chigi lat.VI. 81
3 Spargete sospiri (inst) Luigi Rossi 2.38
Rome,Vatican Library, Barb. lat. 4219
4 Già celebrato havea la Regina di Caria † Marco Marazzoli 11.31
(Lament of Artemisia)
Rome,Vatican Library, Chigi lat.V. 69
5 Pender non prima vide sopra vil tronco * Luigi Rossi 19.01
(Tears of Mary Magdalene)
Oxford, Christ Church Library, Mus. 998
6 Perchè dolce Bambino * Marc’ Antonio Pasqualini (1614-1691) 3.25
(On the birth of Our Lord)

Photo: Fernanda Fernandez

Rome,Vatican Library, Barb. lat. 4203
7 Piangete occhi, piangete * † Domenico Mazzocchi (1592-1665) 7.42
(Let us weep for the passion of Our Lord)
Musiche sacre e morali, Rome 1640
8 Peccantum me quotidie (inst) Luigi Rossi 2.40
Oxford, Christ Church Library, Mus. 83
Paulina van Laarhoven • Annalisa Pappano • Nora Roll • Erin Headley • Siobhán Armstrong
9 Conclusion of Oratorio per la Settimana Santa * † Luigi Rossi 7.01
(Lament of the Blessed Virgin)
Rome,Vatican Library, Barb. lat. 4199

ToTal playing Time 67.17

2 23
9. oratorio per la Settimana Santa oratorio for Holy Week
Vergine Virgin
Votisi pur dei mali Now let this evil urn be emptied
L’urna su le vitali over the victim’s mortal remains.
Ombre de questa spoglia. Behold your handmaid, ready to do your will:
Ecco l’ancilla tua pronta a tua voglia: if my crying pleases you, then weep,
ATALANTE
S’a te piace il mio pianto, occhi piangete; my eyes; Erin Headley - director
Se t’aggrada il mio duolo, if my pain is acceptable to you, Nadine Balbeisi - soprano *
È poco un petto solo. one breast is not enough.
Theodora Baka - mezzo-soprano †
Dolori, tormenti, crescete! Sorrows, torments, increase! Paulina van Laarhoven and Annalisa Pappano - viola da gamba
Piangete occhi, piangete! Weep, eyes, weep! Nora Roll - viola da gamba and Erin Headley - viola da gamba, lirone
In lagrime quest’anima Let this soul dissolve Kristian Bezuidenhout - harpsichord
Disciolgasi, dissolvasi, si stempre! into tears that melt and flow! Siobhán Armstrong - arpa doppia
Occhi piangete, si, piangete sempre! Eyes, weep, yeah weep for evermore!
Elizabeth Kenny and Andrew Maginley – chitarrone
Madrigale ultimo Final madrigal Produced, engineered and edited by John Hadden
Piangete occhi, piangete! Weep, eyes, weep! Recorded 27-30 November 2010, St George’s, Chesterton, Cambs, UK
Dolori, tormenti, crescete, Sorrows, torments, increase, Executive producer: John Hadden, Destino Classics
Chè per un Dio che langue, since for a departing God,
Per un figlio che more, for a dying son Cover image: Nadine Balbeisi as Mary Magdalene
Che versa per amore un mar’ di sangue, who shed an ocean of blood for love, Booklet reverse image: Theodora Baka as Artemisia
È poco ogni tormento, ogni dolore. any torment, any pain is too little. Photos: Fernanda Fernandez
O d’eccelsa pietà nobile insgena, O noble emblem of sublime mercy Costumes: Alessio Rosati
Ch’ai suoi seguaci il vero calle addita Which show his disciples the true way
Designed by Doubletake Design Ltd.
Di vincer morte e d’eternarsi in vita to conquer death and attain eternal life,
E lacera n’insegna and teach through pain Performing editions: Jörg Jacobi, Edition Baroque, Bremen;
Che per salir’ di vera gloria al trono that to ascend the throne of true glory, Richard Abram, Lucy Carolan and Erin Headley
E le pene e i martir’ le pene sono. pain and torment are the wings.
Italian texts and translations: Candace Smith

Atalante is funded by the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) of Great Britain
- Cesare Raggioli

22 3
Lamentarium
17th-century Rome and the Barberinis
Foreigners visiting Europe are always struck
by the accumulation of cultural layers that
Rome inherited over thousands of years, from
the monuments of the Roman Empire to the
magnificent 17th-century architecture, sculpture
and painting patronised by the Catholic Church.
The works of Bernini, Borromini, Caravaggio,
Poussin and a host of other artists are evident
at every turn, but the great Roman poets
(including several popes and cardinals), writers,
scholars and scientists are known today only to
a learned few. Of the music that reverberated
throughout Rome’s splendid palaces, churches
and oratories, we know very little. Most laymen
today would be able to name only Palestrina as a
Roman composer.
Led by Urban VIII (Pope from 1623 to 1644)
and his nephews, cardinals Francesco and
Antonio, the Barberinis and their extended and
privileged family influenced the whole of the
Catholic world through religious, diplomatic,
military and, above all cultural enterprise. They
implemented a conscious strategy of spreading
the doctrines of the Counter-Reformation,
especially through music and the visual arts.
Their banner heralded the attributes of
martyrdom and death, extravagant repentance,
4 21
lamenting and religious ecstasy, not only through
Christian but also through Classical narratives.
Occhi miei, che spargeste
Di lagrime i torrenti,
O my eyes, you who have shed
torrents of tears,
Per due begli occhi ardenti, for two beautiful, burning eyes,
References to past cultures are nowhere more Spargete hor caldi fiumi pour forth now hot rivers
evident than in the great Vatican Library, already Per quel Fattor celeste, for that heavenly Maker
a monumental establishment in the 17th century, Che creò quei bei lumi. who created those beautiful eyes.
when Francesco Barberini was librarian (1626- Voi, che del pianto haveste nulla, You, who have had little or no pity
O poca mercede, for the weeping
33), and who collected and bequeathed vast
Da chi non cure, o crede, of those who do not care or believe,
numbers of books and manuscripts. Among Deh, sgorgate di lagrime una piena, ah, pour out now a flood of tears
the music collections are literally thousands of Per quel Fattor, che rende for that Maker who turns
vocal works, the most fascinating being settings Vero amor per amor, gioia per pianto; love into true love, grief into joy;
of the narratives of the tragic figures of history, Voi, che piangeste tanto, you, my eyes, who have wept so much,
both pagan and religious (Armida, Artemisia, Hor come occhi miei, lassi aridi siete? why are you now tired and dry?
Cleopatra, Dido, Helen of Troy, Olympia, Mary Piangete occhi, piangete. Weep, eyes, weep.
Magdalene, the Blessed Virgin, St Catherine,
Mentre chi mi die vita, While he who gave me life,
Joseph, Cain and Abel, David, Xerxes, Nero, Per me fatto mortale, a morte langue, and was made mortal for me, now languishes
Seneca and many others). Si prodigo sangue, in death, so covered with blood,
Occhi miei, voi due lagrimette avari sete? my eyes, are you now too miserly to shed two little tears?
The generation of Roman composers after
Piangete occhi, piangete. Weep, eyes, weep.
Monteverdi, led by Luigi Rossi and Marco
Marazzoli, intensified the rich and rhetorically
powerful poetry of their contemporaries to - Girolamo Preti
create a new musical aesthetic that was sensual,
passionate, ecstatic, even erotic. Rossi and
Marazzoli produced sacred and secular operas
and oratorios, and vocal chamber music, of
which their combined output of solo and
ensemble cantatas numbers over 700.
Rossi was the leading composer of 17th-century
bel canto, the new elegant and lyrical style of
melodic writing and ultra expressive recitative
7. Dovremo piangere la passione di n.S.
Piangete occhi, piangete,
Non più gli altrui rigori,
O dolor mio,
Ma il dolor del mio Dio,
Che del mio pianto ha sete.
Piangete occhi, piangete.
Deh, non piangete più la feritate
Di terrena beltate,
Piangete la pietà,
L’amor di lui che langue,
(oh Dio) per cui?
Langue perché di mia salute ha sete.
Piangete occhi, piangete.
Non piangete d’Amor l’arco mortale,
Ma quell’arco vitale
Di quelle braccia aperte,
Arco pietoso, e forte,
Che saettò la morte
Con ferità, onde voi salute avrete.
Piangete occhi, piangete.
Non piangete gli strali,
Ond’empio amor terreno
Già mi trafisse il seno.
Questi piangete, ohimè, chiodi pungenti
Delle piante innocenti.
Avventar questi strali
Vostre colpe mortali
Voi, voi gli Arcieri siete,
Piangete occhi, piangete.
20
let us weep for the passion of our lord that was a reaction to the earlier, text-dominated
Weep, eyes, weep, stilo rappresentativo. The triple-time arias in
no longer for the sufferings of others, particular are full of his unmistakable suavity.
or for my own pain, However, in his lament of the Magdalene,
but for the pain of my God, Rossi conveys the penitent’s torturous spiritual
who is thirsty for my tears. and sensual journey almost entirely through
Weep, eyes, weep.
extravagant recitative. Only a brief aria, whose
Oh, weep no more for the wounds long-awaited arrival comes near the end, delivers
of earthly beauty; the poignant moment of resignation and final
weep for mercy, despair.
and for the love of him who languishes,
(Oh God) for what? Spiritual and moral cantatas, sacred operas
He languishes because he is thirsty for my health. and oratorios and independent laments were
Weep, eyes, weep. commissioned by the Barberinis to reinforce
their motto Delectare et docere: to ‘delight while
Do not weep for the mortal bow of Love, instructing’. The lament in particular is the
but for that life-giving bow ideal vehicle to serve the Catholic cause since
of those open arms,
it intimately involves the listener in a narrative
a merciful and strong bow
which death shot of emotional struggle that ends in catharsis or
with cruelty, so that you might have health. redemption.
Weep, eyes, weep.
Helen of Troy’s vanitas lament chronicles the
Do not weep for the arrows enormous destruction caused by a beautiful face,
with which wicked earthly love and warns of youth’s ephemerality; Artemisia’s
has pierced my breast. pitifully twisted and depraved narrative cautions
Weep, alas, for these sharp nails against excessive grief. The two Blessed Virgin
from innocent plants. works here are worlds apart in dimension:
You are the archers
the miniature Perché, dolce Bambino is a short,
who will hurl these arrows,
bittersweet aria revealing that Jesus weeps so
your mortal blows.
Weep, eyes, weep. that we might be saved, while the conclusion
to Rossi’s epic Oratorio per la Settimana Santa
proclaims that the only path to glory is through
pain and torment.
5
The Piangete, occhi piangete motif appears in the
Magdalene lament and at the end of the Oratorio
per la Settimana Santa, and it is the incipit of
Domenico Mazzocchi’s spiritual cantata. This
remarkable work is on a reflective text in quasi-
recitative style with refrains, and outrageous
key relationships (C minor and F sharp major)
to convey the soul’s struggle yet final bliss in
reaching the higher realm.
Why this magnificent repertoire has not received
widespread attention provokes much thought.
The cantatas are for the most part in manuscript,
often difficult to read, and perhaps not
immediately appealing because of their spiritual
and moral texts; they are predominantly set in
recitative. Artemisia’s lament makes in quick
succession references to Niobe and Egeria, and
later, Clotho – figures that heighten the meaning
of the underlying narrative; their significance
would immediately have been grasped by
Rome’s aristocrats and intellectuals. Indeed,
part of their enjoyment would have come from
discerning the nuances, which even native Italian
speakers today may find elusive. Our approach
in making this remarkable repertoire more
accessible is to present concerts in staged form,
in Italian-style period costumes and with props
and atmospheric lighting, so that these tragic
characters are able to step out of their frames
and into our world to offer us a fully immersive
experience.
Musical performance in the 17th century was
also enhanced by a kaleidoscopic continuo
palette. In addition to the chitarrone, harpsichord
and double harp, the most exotic colour to
hand was that of the lirone whose haunting and
ethereal sound was specifically recommended to
accompany laments and tragic scenes in Italian
operas and oratorios. This multi-string bowed
instrument had from nine to fourteen strings,
which could produce sustained, purely tuned
chords, even in the most far-reaching tonalities.
Here we have cast the lirone in independent
‘scenas’ where it can be used more generously and
to greater effect than in the discreet lament scenes
found in large-scale dramatic works.
Viol consorts also served Roman vocal music
well, especially for the accompaniment of
the voice. Antonio and Francesco Barberini
each owned a chest of viols, as did Queen
Christina of Sweden at her Roman residence;
G. B. Doni, the music scholar had two as part
of his eccentric Greek tuning experiments.
Occasional evidence of viol consorts providing
chordal accompaniments to vocal pieces led
us to experiment with our own realisations in
the Helen and Magdalene cantatas. The purely
instrumental items here are transcribed from vocal
works, a common practice for the viol consort
from the early 16th century.
Rome was the most important centre for the
male voice, and Marc-Antonio Pasqualini was
6 19
one of the most renowned of the soprano castrati Deh s’altro non potete Ah, if you cannot do otherwise,
who sang in Roman opera and oratorio. The Piangete occhi, piangete weep, eyes, weep,
castrato voice appeared in the Sistine chapel in E piangete sin tanto and weep until my end
Che dia fin la mia fine al vostro pianto. brings an end to your weeping.”
1562, and as opera later developed, these male
singers became marvels of the musical stage. Per sì fervidi accenti For such fervent words,
Since women were forbidden to sing in any D’Amor misti e di duolo mixed with love and grief,
papal institutions, female roles in operas, oratorios Fuor dell’usato il volo the dolorous winds, exceptionally,
and cantatas were sung by men. The famous Ferman nell’aria addolorati i venti. stop in mid-air.
castrato, Loreto Vittori was praised for his moving Sprezzansi i sassi The rocks are filled with self-loathing,
renditions of Mazzocchi’s Mary Magdalene and E l’impietade istessa and impiety itself,
Dido laments. À lagrime sì pie at the sight of such pious tears,
Lagrima anch’essa. also weeps.
Although women were banned from performing
in public, the applauded female singing trio of
Leonora Baroni, her sister Catarina and their
mother Andreana held musical academies in the
6. Sopra la nascita di n.S. on the birth of our lord
family’s private palace. Their self-accompaniment
Perchè dolce bambino Why, sweet child,
on an impressive array of instruments (harp, lirone,
Da sacrosanti lumi from your sacred eyes
theorbo, viola da gamba and Spanish guitar) stole Versi di salso humor due caldi fiumi? do you pour two hot rivers of salty tears?
the limelight, to the envy of rival groups like Ah risponde il mio Dio, “Ah”, my God responds,
the Lolli sisters, and even Vittori and Pasqualini. Perché non pianga tu, pianger vogl’io. “I wish to weep so that you weep not.”
It is tempting to imagine these talented and
graceful divas portraying ancient heroines with - S. Casino
the backdrop of one of the richly coloured, gold-
threaded Artemisia tapestries loaned to them by
cardinal Francesco. Such soirées were patronised
and attended by the Barberinis, and among their
special guests was the French viol player André
Maugars, who recalled one such concert in 1639:
‘This concert transported me into such ravishment, that
I forgot my mortal condition and believed myself to be
among the angels.’
Ma lassa a che di strida
In van quest’ aria ingombro
E mi querelo.
Tu Cielo, almen su l’esecrande teste
D’huomini si perversi
Ch’han dato morte al tuo Signore e mio,
Perche tutt’in un tempo hoggi non versi
E le fiamme e gli strali e le tempeste?
E tu, perche non t’apri, spietato Inferno,
E dentro al tuo più cupo centro
Non gli condanni a sempiterno horrore?
Ma dove, o mio dolore,
Dove la mente e’l favellar trasporti?
Come bramar poss’io
Che s’armi a danni altrui Cielo et Abisso,
S’a chi t’ha crocifisso
Pur hor tu stesso dall’eterno Padre
In supplichevol suono
Hai procurato d’impetrar perdono?
Come bramar poss’io
À chi morte ti diè pena et affanno
Se della mia bellezza il fasto e l’alterezza
À par degl’uccisori ucciso t’hanno
E se del viver mio la colpa atroce
Più che lo sdegno hebreo t’ha posto in Croce?
Occhi, voi che vedete
Sol per vostra impietà su questo legno
Il Rè de Regi esanimato e nudo
À portento si crudo,
À che non vi chiudete,
À che del sole che tien pur hora
Su nel Cielo ascoso
per la Pietà del suo fattore i rai
Vi mostrate più crudi o men pietosi.
But, alas, I fill the air
in vain with my cries,
and lament my fate.
You, Heavens, why do you not at least,
this very day and all at once,
hurl flames and arrows and tempests
upon the despicable heads of such perverse men who put to
death your Lord and mine?
And you, merciless Hell, why do you not open up and
condemn them to eternal horror
within your darkest centre?
But where, O my grief,
where do mind and speech lead to?
How can I yearn
for Heaven and Hell to arm themselves
against others if even you,
in supplicating tones,
have implored forgiveness from the eternal Father
for those who crucified you?
How can I yearn for pain and affliction
against those who brought you death
if the pomp and pride of my beauty killed you
as much as the killers themselves,
and if the atrocious guilt of my life,
more than Hebrew scorn, placed you on the Cross?
Eyes, you that see
only through your impiety the King of Kings,
lifeless and naked upon this wood,
at the sight of such a cruel wonder
you do not close;
and while the sun even now
hides its rays in the sky
out of mercy for its creator,
you show yourselves to be even more cruel or less merciless.
Atalante
Erin Headley’s sensational new group staging and filming of it, has received generous
Atalante is named in honour of Leonardo support from the Arts and Humanities
da Vinci’s friend and pupil Atalante Research Council of Great Britain.
Migliorotti, inventor of the lirone. That
Atalante’s members include many valued
magic and ethereal bowed instrument has
musical colleagues whom Erin Headley has
been Erin Headley’s domain for the past
attracted internationally over the years. Her
30 years, through an astonishing number of
viol players, who are all lirone players, hail
performances and recordings that have been
from Sweden, Holland and the USA, and her
acclaimed worldwide.
continuo specialists come from Germany,
In the 17th century the lirone was said to Ireland, Italy, South Africa and Great Britain.
‘move the soul and transport the spirit’. Its
nadine Balbeisi, soprano, is a Jordanian-
true realm was the lament, a genre covering
American who performs throughout
the whole spectrum of human emotions.
Europe and North America; in Germany
Atalante’s luxurious continuo band of double
she concentrates on the opera and oratorio
harp, chitarrone, keyboards, viol consort (a
repertoire, and with the viol player Fernando
Roman speciality for accompanying the
Marín, she co-founded the duo Cantar alla
voice) and lirone enhance the sublimely dark
Viola to explore vocal music accompanied by
repertoire of 17th-century Rome, including
the viola da gamba.
music not heard for over 300 years.
Theodora Baka is a Greek mezzo-soprano
Their début in October 2009 at the
whose repertoire ranges from Renaissance
Southbank Centre in London – in staged
and Baroque to contemporary music. She has
performances of the laments of Artemisia,
appeared in numerous opera productions on
Helen of Troy, Mary Magdalene and the
the continent, most notably with Alan Curtis
Blessed Virgin – was a major success with
and Il Complesso Barocco; she also performs
rave press reviews. Atalante’s exploration
and records traditional Greek music.
of this fascinating repertoire, including the

18 7

Erin Headley
and the lirone
My life was changed forever in
1975 when a colleague handed me
a manuscript as we were looking
at scores in the Vatican Library.
Here was a folio with the curious
annotation ‘Cain con la lira’ from
Bernardo Pasquini’s oratorio Cain
e Abele. This recitative was the
oratorio’s central lament; it offered
some startling melodic writing, and
wonderful shifts from the simplest
of tonalities to the most distant and
outrageous. As I read up on the little
literature then available, I concluded
that in the 17th century at least, ‘lira’
was the Roman term for lirone, a
multiple bowed string instrument
whose bizarre tuning was perfectly
set up to accommodate such an
extreme harmonic style.
8 17
Photo: Fernanda Fernandez
My preoccupation with this extraordinary
instrument and its astonishingly dark and
fascinating repertoire led me on an exciting
historical, cultural and musical journey. In 1980
I commissioned the building of my first lirone;
I soon became the only player of it in the world
since the 17th century. It was my great privilege
to participate in hundreds of performances and
recordings on the lirone (and the viola da gamba)
in Europe, North America and the Far East
with numerous leading early music groups, most
notably Les Arts Florissants. But the most valuable
experience and insight that I gained about 17th-
century music and continuo playing was within
my own group, Tragicomedia with co-founder,
Stephen Stubbs.
Unfortunately Roman music did not figure
prominently in most of my regular professional
work, with the exception of the operas and
Non sol la Croce inonda
Ma sopra questo monte in più
D’un rio già s’apre e si discioglie.
Ma se nel farti esangue
A me tolto ha la morte ogni mio bene
Fra tormenti di sangue, fra diluvi di pene,
Come, ah come poss’io
Viver senz’alma e senza te, mio Dio?
Almen già che mi vieta aspra doglia infinita
Sperar co’ miei tormenti
O pace, o tregua di quest’afflitta vita
Consenti, almen consenti,
O mio Signore, che si tronchi lo stame
E ch’io ti segua, che se l’aria onde spiro
Di refrigerio invece horror m’apporta,
Se quanto sento e miro
Sembra a’ miei lumi tragico e funesto
E che sarà di me se’n vita io resto?
Non più con queste chiome
T’asciugherò le piante
Se chiamerotti a nome
Non fia più chi m’ascolti e mi risponda.
Del tuo soccorso priva
Non veggo più chi possa
In fra gli scogli scorger mia nave
E ricondurla a riva.
A chi nel duro esiglio
Riccorrerò per medicina o scampo?
Da chi nel proprio inciampo
L’anima sconsigliata havrà consiglio?
E negl’affanni miei
Chi mi consolerà s’estinto sei?
not only inundates the Cross,
but has already opened up upon this mount
into more than one river, and dissolves.
But if by rendering you bloodless,
death has taken my only love from me,
between bloody torments and floods of pain,
how then can I live without my soul
and without you, my God?
Since bitter and infinite sorrows and torments
allow me no hope of peace or respite
from this troubled life,
O my Lord, at least grant
that the thread [of life] be broken,
and that I may follow you, for since the air I breathe
brings me horror instead of solace,
and since all that I hear and see
appears to my eyes as tragic and pernicious,
what, then, shall become of me if I stay alive?
No longer shall these locks of mine
dry your tears;
if I call you by name,
there is no one who will hear me and answer.
Without your aid,
I no longer see anyone
who might spy my ship among the rocks
and lead it to shore.
To whom, in this harsh exile,
shall I run to for cure or safety?
From whom will my stumbling
and misguided soul seek counsel?
And who will console me in my sorrows
if you are deceased?
5. Pianto della Maddalena
Pender non prima vide
Sopra vil tronco, e lacerato e morto
La bella Peccatrice il suo diletto
Che repente al cospetto
Delle turbe homicide
Gettossi à piè
Del sacro santo legno
E del suo Amore in segno
Havendolo di tempo in un momento
E cento volte, e cento
Con ambidue le braccia avvinto, e stretto
Dispiega al fin tra pianti e tra i sospiri
In queste amare note i suoi martiri.
“O mio nel mar del mondo
Fido legno e nocchiero
O mio bene, o mia vita,
O mio conforto, o mia sola speranza
E pur è vero, o Dio, che tu sei morto.
Sei morto, et io spingendo
Su nell’eterno sfere
Hor singulti, hor preghiere
Di Popolo orgoglioso et inhumano
Sottrarti all’ira ho procurato in vano.
Sei morto, e la tua morte maraviglia
Si grande al cor mi reca
Che d’essermi parrebbe
Dando fede a me stessa.
O folle, o cieca s’io non vedessi,
Ohime, purtroppo aperto
Gli stratii ch’hai sofferto
E che’l sangue che gronda
Dalle trafitte tue lacere spoglie
16
Tears of Mary Magdalene
As soon as the beautiful sinner
saw her beloved
hanging from the vile tree, lacerated and dead,
in full view of the murderous crowd,
she suddenly threw herself
at the feet
of the sacrosanct wood,
and as a sign of her love,
having embraced it tightly in both arms
once and a hundred times, and a hundred more,
in sobs and sighs
and with these bitter notes,
gave voice to her sufferings.
O my faithful wood and helmsman
in the sea of the world,
O my love, O my life,
O my comfort, O my only hope,
it is true, O God, that you are dead.
You are dead, and I,
casting now sobs, now prayers
upwards towards the eternal spheres,
have vainly attempted to protect you
from the wrath of a proud and inhuman people.
You are dead, and your death
brings such wonder to my heart
that it seems to be my own,
and brings me faith.
O foolish and blind am I if I could not see, alas,
that the excruciating wounds that you have suffered are
sadly still open,
and that the blood which overflows
from your pierced and tattered remains
oratorios of Luigi Rossi and the sacred opera, Il The sound-world of the lirone
San Alessio by Stefano Landi in performances and was utterly beguiling – one felt
recordings with Les Arts Florissants. These are
works that specifically call for the lirone, and they
transported to a 17th-century
give us valuable clues as to how the instrument camera privata, musing on the
is to be used. In the 1990s I conceived of several bleak messages of mortality
recordings of Roman music for Tragicomedia and transience.
(Teldec), but my dream to explore and make the
Classical Music Magazine
repertoire even better known to the music world
was only made possible when I was awarded an
AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) Their voices were garlanded by
of Great Britain fellowship in 2007 to complete my the otherworldly sounds of the
life work on the lirone. lirone, played by Erin Headley,
As an important part of the research I specifically who pioneered the instrument’s
formed Atalante to perform, record and video revival and is its greatest
as much Roman music for the lirone as possible. exponent.
This first recording, which focuses on independent
laments, is supported by a further grant from Classical Iconoclast
the AHRC, as is our second and forthcoming
recording, L’Oratorio di Santa Caterina by Luigi
Rossi and Marco Marazzoli. A second AHRC grant
has made three more Roman recordings possible This recording is dedicated to the memory
in 2011. of my mother Romette, an inspiring
keyboard and bowed-bass player whose
unusual name means ‘little Rome’.
9
2. lamento d’elena invecchiata lament of the aged Helen Su perdona, o mio bene, Forgive me, my beloved,
Testo Narrator Se mentre, o nova stella if you glow as a new star
In cielo avvampi in the heavens,
Cadute erano al fine, Finally fallen o del fiume di Lete or with your shadow
Dopp’ostinata guerra, after obstinate war Oltre l’arene rendi col’ombra tua you calm the fields of the strands
D’Ilio le mura incenerite a terra, the walls of Ilio were burnt to the ground Sereni i campi. beyond the river Lethe.
E già tornata era alla patria riva And already back to the native shore Perdona, o Dio, Forgive, O God,
La combattuta Argiva. was the fleet from Argos, having fought hard. Se nel mio petto ascosi if buried in my breast
Avea lunga stagione Elena pianto Helen had been crying a long time over her great fate, Questi miseri avanzi havran l’inferno, these pitiful remains go to Hell—
Nella sua gran sventura, over the great wretchedness of Troy, Forse, se non a parte almen pietosi perhaps, at least in part, merciful
La rovina di Troia e l’arse mura. and its burned down walls. Di quel dolor ch’ivi soggiorna eterno. of the grief which dwells there eternally.
Esecrò, maledì fiera il destino She abhorred and fiercely cursed the fate, Già ch’il ciel Since the heavens
Che l’avea fatto gioco which played a great trick Non vuol che torni do not want my Mausolo
Di fortuna fallace, on her deceptive fortune, Per mio mal Mausolo to return, to my dismay
Né in sì grave dolor trovava pace. so that she could not find any peace In vita passerò I shall spend my life
Quando ch’a sé vicino from such great pain. Torbidi i giorni in gloomy days,
Un cristallo trovò lucido e netto At once she found near her Da voi ceneri nutrita. nourished by you, ashes.
Alle bellezze sue ministro eletto, a bright and polished crystal,
In cui spes[s]o mirando [il suo] sembiante. elected ministry of her beauty, La vita fia breve May life be brief,
Di se stessa veniva a farsi amante. in which often looking at her own aspect, Fian brevi i tormenti and brief the torments;
A quel vago cristallo i lumi volse she was used to become a lover of herself. Se morti alimenti if you nourish death,
E, poi che divenuta ella già scorse To that graceful crystal she turned her eyes, Da morte riceve. from death shall you receive.
La sua fronte rugosa and, as she spied her forehead covered with wrinkles,
E già l’aurato crin fatto di cenere, and her golden hair already turned gray as ash, Più diceva, ma intanto She spoke further, but meanwhile,
Fatta languido giglio quella rosa and the rose that used to bloom on her cheeks Vede ch’in copia grande she saw the goblet’s full measure of wine,
Che già fioria nelle sue guance tenere, turned into a languid lily, Accresciuto dal pianto increased by her tears,
Poichè vidde sparito omai dal labro as the lovely vermilion Il vino fuor del calice si spande. spill over.
Il vivace cinabro, vanished from her lips,
Contro vana beltà tutta sdegnosa, she disdainfully spoke to herself
Non più dal duolo oppressa, against vain beauty, - S. Casino
Sorridendo così parlò a se stessa. no more oppressed by pain.

10 15
Forse le spoglie ancor leggiadre e belle
Col mio sangue, e col’alma
Ad’onta de la morte, e de le stele
Di far tornar’in vita havrò la palma.
Care ceneri prendete
Del mio sen la sepoltura
Più del marmo in cui vedrete
La mia fè candida e dura.
Del mio sen nobile al paro
Benché misero et afflitto
Non ha tomba, e Menfi, e Faro
Non piramide l’Egitto.
Far l’esequie a voi potranno
Le mie lacrime cadenti
E le faci a voi saranno
Del mio cor le fiamme ardenti.
O del Idolo mio
Reliquie amate
Se l’ambrosia di voi
Più dolce, e cara non fu,
Come formate oggi
Alle labbra mie bevanda amara?
O del bel foco mio ceneri spente,
Ma spente, oimé, come m’ardete il core,
Se covate l’ardore
Come in voi non vagheggio il lume ardente?
Perhaps I shall take the palm for bringing back to life, Elena Helen
with my blood and my spirit, Queste d’Elena son l’alte bellezze Are these the high beauties of Helen,
his mortal remains, still graceful and beautiful, Al cui lucido raggio, to whose shiny ray,
in spite of death and the stars. Al cui gran foco già parve sì poco to whose great fire and fall of Troy
Dear ashes, accept my breast Ch’ardesse Troia e che cadesse estinta? did not seem enough?
as your burial place: Per voi Troia fu vinta? For you, Helen, Troy was vanquished?
as you will find in it devotion Per voi andorno in sin all’ alto cielo, Was it because of you that squallid flames
more pure, more firm than marble. Cinte di fosco e fiammeggiante velo, surrounded by a foggy and firey veil
To this noble breast, though wretched and tormented, Squallide fiamme ad oscurare il giorno? obscured the day?
neither the tombs Per voi, forme fallaci, Because of you, deceptive appearances,
of Memphis nor the lighthouse of Pharos, Per voi, forme fugaci, because of you, ephemeral appearances,
nor the pyramids of Egypt can compare. Si versò tanto pianto? so many tears were poured?
Per voi solo l’alzaro in riva al Xanto Because of you by the shores of the Xanto
The tears I shed Monti d’estinti eroi? pile up mounds of dead heroes?
shall be your obsequies,
and the burning flames of my heart Queste d’Elena son l’alte vaghezze, Are these Helen’s great graces,
shall light your tomb. Onde restò l’Asia e l’Europa esangue? for which Asia and Europe were left bloodless?
Alla cui pompa et al cui fasto altiero To which pomp and to which a rich and superb altar
O beloved relics Sacrar tutto il suo sangue, the whole world
of my idol, Mirossi il mondo intiero? sacrificed its blood?
how is your nectar
that was once so sweet and dear Or voi, stolti mortali, Now you, mindless mortals,
now become bitter Deh, vedete qual sian bellezze frali, Alas, you can see the fragility of beauty,
on my lips? Lo sguardo a me volgete Look at me now,
E di vostra follia meco ridete. and laugh at your own foolishness.
O extinguished ashes of my beautiful fire,
though extinguished, alas, how do you still burn my heart?
If you hold your heat within,
why do I not enjoy your burning flame?
14 11
Elena e Testo Helen and Narrator 4. lamento d’artemisia lament of artemisia
Deh, mirate, o ciechi’amanti, Alas, look, oh blind lovers, Già celebrato havea The queen of Caria,
Qual sia quelle beltà at which graces La Regina di Caria having observed
Che morte vi dà. death gives you. Al morto sposo il funeral pietoso, her dead husband’s pitiful funeral,
Deh, vedete come fuggano, Alas, see that they fade away, E già l’amate ceneri now wanted to bury his beloved ashes
Dalle labra i rubini, from the lips of rubies, Volea sepelir nel suo petto. in her breast.
Come si struggono how the fine golden hair
I capelli d’oro fini, vanishes Cangiata a tale effetto So affected was she,
E le vaghe e fresche rose and so do the beautiful and fresh roses Con molle ciglio, e pallido sembiante with eyelids wet and countenance pale,
Di due guance vezzose. of two charming cheeks. Sembrava Egeria in fonte, that she seemed like Egeria in water,
E Niobe in pietra. and Niobe in stone.
Eppure, o ciechi amanti, And yet, oh blind lovers,
Per caduca beltà versate pianti. You still weep for fleeting beauty. Ma prima che nel calice spumante But before the foaming goblet
Immerga il labro, dal dolore impetra met her lips, she froze with grief,
Ombra vana è la beltade Beauty is a vain shadow Con sì meste querele with sad moans
Che del tempo preda cade: which falls to the prey of time: D’accompagnar nel seno il suo fedele. in her breast for her faithful husband.
Splende appunto qual baleno its rainbow shines
Ch’all apparir dispare e si vien meno. and vanishes as quickly as it appears. Artemisia a che più gemi “Artemisia, why do you still groan?
Altro Mausolo ti chiede Mausolo asks of you
Eppure, o ciechi a amanti, And yet, oh blind lovers, di pietà, d’amor, di fede, only pity, love and faith,
Per caduca beltà versate pianti. You still weep for fleeting beauty. vuol da te gl’uffici estremi. and the ultimate obeisance.

Testo Narrator Se non puoi come vorresti If for all your wishes you cannot
Sì disse, poi spezzò That said, she spurned the reflection Torre al cielo il tuo consorte regain from heaven your husband,
Quella luce ove già si vagheggiò: in which she had gazed at herself: Fà del suo ch’almen ti resti at least keep as much of what was his
E quanto frale sia sembiante vago, And so she showed us through the fragile mirror, Ciò ch’a te lasciò la morte. as death has left you.”
Mostrò in fragil cristallo a noi l’imago. how fragile is a beautiful face. Mausolo i giorni tuoi Cloto recise, Mausolo, [the fate] Cloto has cut your life,
Ma non già ti divise but she has not separated us,
Dal mio sen dove vivo ancor tu sei for you live in my breast;
– Pannesio E morto ti desio I desire you dead,
Perche eternar vorrei for I would like my flame
Nelle cenere tue l’incendio mio. to live eternally in your ashes.

12 13
RELIQUIE DI ROMA: I
 RELIQUIE DI ROMA I: Lamentarium
Eternal lamenting, extravagant repenting, religious ecstasy…
passionate, sensual, macabre and erotic narratives from 17th-century Rome
1 Passacaglia del Seigneur Louigi Luigi Rossi
2 Elena invecchiata Marco Marazzoli
3 Spargete sospiri Luigi Rossi
ATALANTE, ERIN HEADLEy • BALBEISI • BAKA
RELIQUIE DI ROMA I: Lamentarium

ATALANTE, ERIN HEADLEy • BALBEISI • BAKA

RELIQUIE DI ROMA I: Lamentarium
4 Lamento d’Artemisia Marco Marazzoli
5 Pianto della Maddalena Luigi Rossi
6 Perché dolce Bambino Marc’ Antonio Pasqualini
7 Piangete occhi, piangete Domenico Mazzocchi
8 Peccantum me quotidie Luigi Rossi
9 Conclusion of Oratorio per la Settimana Santa Luigi Rossi

ATALANTE
ERIN HEADLEY
NADINE BALBEISI soprano
THEODORA BAKA mezzo-soprano
Atalante is funded by the AHRC (Arts and
Humanities Research Council) of Great Britain

Made in the UK by Wyastone Estate Limited

NI 6152

NI 6152
P 2011 Wyastone Estate Limited
© 2011 Wyastone Estate Limited
www.wyastone.co.uk