Between the 18th and 19th centuries, operatic music — which in Italy experienced enormous growth thanks to musicians who made its history — progressively moved from private salons and small theatres to large public theatres, among them the San Carlo in Naples, becoming an increasingly popular musical genre.
The total absence of mass media, unlike in our own time, led Italian composers to make transcriptions of the most famous opera themes — sometimes merely imitating the style, other times accurately reproducing the most well-known musical themes.
Particularly in Italy, during the 19th century, the operatic style became dominant not only in theatre music but also in Italian instrumental music, spreading through the organ, which was present in every church (later, wind bands would also help to popularize this repertoire).
The union between the organ and opera became so strong that even during the musical moments of the Ordinarium Missae, the liturgical pieces of sacred music would once again take the form of operatic paraphrases (as, for example, in the Offertory by Giovanni Morandi).
Giovanni Paisiello was a forerunner in this evolution of instrumental musical language; in fact, he was among the first to transcribe for organ some of the opening symphonies of his most famous works.
PROGRAM
Opening Symphony
from Il Barbiere di Siviglia — G. Paisiello (1740–1816)
Intorno all’idol mio
from Orontea — M. A. Cesti (1620–1669)
Se Florindo è fedele
from La donna è ancora fedele — A. Scarlatti (1660–1725)
O cessate di piagarmi
from Il Pompeo — A. Scarlatti (1660–1725)
Sonata for Organ
— V. Bellini (1801—1835)
Sebben crudele
from La costanza vince l’inganno — A. Caldara (1670–1736)
Symphony in D minor
— G. Morandi (1777–1856)
Quella fiamma che m’accende
from Il mio bel foco — B. Marcello (1686–1739)
Se tu m’ami
— G.B. Pergolesi (1710–1736)
Offertory
— G. Morandi (1777–1856)
Il mio ben quando verrà
from La Nina pazza per amore - G.Paisiello (1740–1816)
Chi vuol la zingarella
from Zingari in fiera — G.Paisiello (1740–1816)
Una voce poco fa
from Il Barbiere di Siviglia by G. Rossini (1792—1868)
Arlene Miatto Albeldas - Mezzosoprano
Pierluigi Lippolis - Organo