Prima Le Parole

Domenico Mazzocchi's life and career are a prime example of the wealthy and sophisticated status of a highly educated musician in 17th century Rome. Protection by the Aldrobrandini, Barberini, Pamphilij and Borghese families gave him the reputation of a dilettante musician, self-taught or amateur, but his status without financial worries allowed him to compose freely without artistic constraints. The quality of his art is shown by the fact that his brother, who was the chapel master at St. Peter's and St. John Lateran, regularly asked him for musical help. Mazzocchi's main works are three volumes of madrigals, printed in Rome in 1638 and composed for five voices, the supreme discipline in madrigal composition. On the threshold of the traditional strictly polyphonic madrigal to the highly emotional style of a Monteverdi, Mazzocchi perfectly reflects the richness of the Roman culture of his time. The ensemble Les Traversées Baroques presents a selection of his madrigals in a wide variety of settings, from five singers a cappella to colorfully orchestrated movements with large continuo instrumentation.