Hopkinson Smith - Francesco da Milano Il Divino '2008

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Fantasia (30) dal secondo tono
02. Recercar (5) dal quinto tono
03. Il Pescatore che va cantando
04. Quandio penso al martir
05. Fantasia (64) dal primo tono
06. Saltarello (Reconstruction)
07. Recercar (3) dal settimo tono
08. Recercar (51) dal quarto tono
09. Recercar (41) dal quinto tono
10. Ballo Doma la donna se solo si sona
11. Fantasia (55) (la piu bella & divina a che abbia flatto)
12. Gagliarda
13. De mon triste desplaisir
14. Fantasia (36) De mon triste
15. Ballo Plus de tristesse, prends ta maitresse
16. Recercar (28) dal quinto tono
17. Fantasia (39) dal quinto tono
18. Saltarello Che glian strazza la socha
19. Recercar (2) dal ottavo tono
20. Sola la dolce sirena (Reconstruction)
21. Fantasia (40) dal ottavo tono
22. Tocha tocha la canella
23. Fantasia (33) sopra mi-fa-mi
24. Pavana Mi fato e miserabil sorte (Reconstruction)
25. Fantasia (34) La Compagna



Francesco Canona or Canova was born near Milan in 1497 and died in 1543. It was
his place of birth rather than his family name which was almost exclusively used
when referring to him during his professional life. He was the personal lutenist
in Rome to Cardinal Ippolito de Medici and to Popes Leo X (1513-1521), Clement
VII (1523-34), and Paul III (1534-1549). Francesco’s first printed works
date from 1536. In that year, three publications appeared, two of which were
devoted only to works by Francesco. The third was an anthology in which his
music can be found alongside anonymous dances and pieces by his contemporaries.
The works which have survived are of two types, Fantasias or Recercars, and
vocal works, of which there are two in this program. Several anonymous dances
also appear in this selection which are taken from Castigliono’s book of
1536. Also included is one dance by their contemporary, Alberto da Mantova, who
is also represented in the 1536 book and who was lutenist to François I in
France where he was know as Albert de Rippe.

Born in New York in 1946, Hopkinson Smith graduated from Harvard with Honours in
Music in 1972. After his studies he became involved in numerous chamber music
projects, including the foundation of the ensemble Hespèrion XX. His ten-year
collaboration with Jordi Savall led to important experiences in collective
music-making which were a creative complement to his career as a soloist. Since
the mid-1980s, he has focused almost exclusively on the solo repertoires for
early plucked instruments, producing a long series of prize-winning recordings
for Naïve/Astrée. These feature Spanish music for vihuela and Baroque
guitar, French lute music of the Renaissance and Baroque, early
seventeenth-century Italian music, and the German High Baroque. The recording of
his lute arrangements of the Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, released
in the year 2000, has been universally acclaimed in the press. Gramophone called
it ‘the best recording of these works on any instrument’.

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