Fantasia upon One Note

Music by Henry Purcell and his prede­ces­sors. The term “fantasia” first appeared in music in the 16th century and has been used almost univer­sally ever since. It denotes an undefined musical form that empha­sizes the emotional and expres­sive nature of its content. Despite being written down, a fantasia should always convey the impres­sion of spon­taneity and is therefore compa­rable to a written impro­vi­sa­tion.

In the program “Fantasia upon One Note”, Capella de la Torre dedicates itself to Henry Purcell’s poly­phonic fantasies and juxta­poses them with grounds and impro­vi­sa­tions by his prede­ces­sors, who influ­enced and inspired the composer in many different ways. The combi­na­tion of histor­ical wind instru­ments such as shawm, dulcian, flute and trombone with voice, continuo and string instru­ments also adds a special touch. This musical practice of the “broken consort” first flour­ished in the Eliz­a­bethan era and is likely to have had more than just an indirect influence on Purcell.