Pazzaglia's Dies Irae is to be performed on Saturday 19th July at 7.30 pm, at St Martin's Church in Stamford.
If you haven't heard of Pazzaglia and his Dies Irae, you are not alone. The work exists in manuscript at Burghley House, near Stamford, with copies in a few university libraries. But there are no recordings and no modern edition. You won't even find the composer Salvador Pazzaglia in any music dictionary either. Not even in specialist reference works. Little is known of him.
The Dies Irae is an extended sequence for a Requiem, in this case, it is apparently for Maria Theresa Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia and Slavonia, Archduchess of Austria, Duchess of Parma and Piacenza, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (to give her her short title!, who died in 1781.
If you know Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, then you will be at home with the style of the Dies Irae by Salvador Pazzaglia. Pergolesi's Stabat Mater is one of the most popular 18th century vocal works. Pazzaglia's work is modelled on the Pergolesi, in the same pattern of movements, and for the same forces - upper voices, strings and organ.
Fergus Black has transcribed the work especially for the concert on 19th July 2008. He hopes that the prospect of an unknown composition won't deter an audience "They would be missing out on something unique" he says. "There is such a treasure trove of music at the House, which does include popular works like the Pergoslesi Stabat Mater and Handel's Messiah, but it is sometimes interesting to explore some paths less trodden. Especially when it is as good as this. It is a real find, and I'm really pleased to be presenting it to the public once again."
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