Suite da Chiesa

For Cello and Harpsichord


Commentary
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Commentary

Related to the Sonata da Chiesa (1986-1987) for viola and piano, and the Concerto da Chiesa (1998) for cello and strings, the Suite da Chiesa for cello and harpsichord shares with them the second part of the title, as a consequence of the use of the classical Baroque form in four movements, always following the slow-fast-slow-fast succession and maintaining a serious and solemn treatment of the material. However, the Baroque "sonata da chiesa" has its counterpart in the "sonata da camera," which consists of three or more movements based on stylized dance forms -and thus with a more lighthearted musical content- that were often preceded by an introductory movement. This type of sonata eventually gave rise to "partitas" or "suites," and hence the title of this piece encompasses the memory of both forms, da chiesa and da camera, respecting the form of the former and the character of the latter.
Thus, the Suite opens with a slow movement titled "Arioso," in which the lyrical treatment of the cello is "challenged" by the harpsichord's commentaries. It is followed by a fast movement, "Corrente," in which the melodic material is equally handled by both instruments, with frequent canonic imitations.
A third, again slow, movement acquires the character of a "Recitative," hence its title, leading to the fourth and final movement, whose title, "Burlesca," eloquently defines the character of the work's conclusion.
The Suite da chiesa was started in Vallgorguina (Barcelona) in August 2021 and completed in Madrid in November of the same year. Dedicated to my son Guillermo and his wife, the harpsichordist Eva del Campo, it was premiered by them as the culmination of my induction as a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, on April 23, 2023.

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