Stefano Maiorana obtained his diploma in classical guitar at the Conservatorio S. Cecilia in Rome, after which he specialized with Bruno Battisti D'Amario. He studied lute and early plucked instruments with Andrea Damiani. Maiorana subsequently pursued further studies in early music at Fima (Urbino) with Paul O'Dette.
Maiorana performs both as a soloist and as a basso continuo player. He is professor of Lute Performance at the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali Briccialdi in Terni. In 2016 he recorded his first album Intavolatura (Fra Bernardo label), dedicated to the music of Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (ca.1580-1651) played on theorbo. In 2021 Maiorana recorded Entre dos almas (Arcana-Outhere Music label) with music by Santiago de Murcia (1673-1739) for Baroque guitar.
You started as a guitarist and only later devoted yourself to early plucked instruments. What made you want to delve into early repertoire?
My first love was actually the electric guitar. I started with rock music when I was a teenager. I was fascinated by, among others, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Those guitarists were my heroes and I enjoyed playing in a rock band. Then I heard the sound of a classical guitar for the first time. My father brought a cassette with music by Segovia, and then I decided that I wanted to study this instrument seriously. So I took all the academic courses and obtained my diploma.
At the end of my classical guitar studies, two things happened that sparked my interest in early music and early plucked instruments. First, I felt that the classical guitar repertoire was too limited for me. As a classical guitarist, you often play solo, and I missed the opportunity to play with other musicians. The sound of the classical guitar is so beautiful, but in my opinion the high-quality repertoire is not as extensive as for other instruments. I was looking for something new.
Second, at that time I had a friend who played in a Baroque ensemble. Sometimes I attended the rehearsals, and when I saw them playing together, I bought a Baroque guitar so I could join in. It was a wonderful experience. I decided to make a fresh start and study again, but this time I focused on early music and early plucked instruments.
When one makes the transition from classical guitar to early plucked instruments, a clichéd image is that you have to cut the nails of your right hand. It's almost a ritual with which one leaves the guitar repertoire behind. Was that a difficult decision for you?
Absolutely not, because I decided to keep my nails for playing. I think there are still many misunderstandings today about historical performance practice on early plucked instruments. We know for certain that different techniques were used, especially for the right hand. For the Baroque guitar and for the theorbo, there is quite a bit of historical evidence in which playing with nails is mentioned. Alessandro Piccinini (1566-1638), for example, discusses the shape of the nails, and we know that Francesco Corbetta (ca.1615-1681) decided not to perform a concert because he broke a nail... Besides written evidence, there are also images by Domenico Pellegrini (16??-ca.1682) who had very long nails on his right hand, and so on.
I decided to specialize in the repertoire from the end of the 16th century—a repertoire that seemed well-suited to my right-hand technique. Of course, I had to deviate somewhat from classical guitar technique, but I am convinced that this repertoire is easier for guitarists who want to approach early plucked instruments.
Music from that time that was written for one specific plucked instrument could easily be played by other plucked instruments. This was possible because of the way many tablatures were written in a non-idiomatic style. You play both the Baroque guitar and the theorbo. How do you decide which music you play on which instrument?
Although it is possible for part of the plucked instrument repertoire to choose different instruments to play the same music, the music for the Baroque guitar and the theorbo is very idiomatic. So there are no pieces written in tablatures that you can play on both instruments. You can make an arrangement of the original tablatures, but it is so difficult and sometimes impossible to replicate with other instruments certain special effects that are unique to these two instruments.
On your first cd Intavolatura you concentrated on the music of Kapsberger and played it on the theorbo. On your second cd you play music by Santiago de Murcia on the Baroque guitar. With this you introduce names that are generally not so well-known. Do you think it is important to reintroduce these names to a broader audience and not limit yourself to the great masters?
Kapsberger is one of the most important composers for the theorbo and the same applies to Murcia and the Baroque guitar. But compared to other Baroque composers such as Bach or Vivaldi, they are indeed not famous. Nevertheless, I think we can still find something special in their music, and perhaps it is possible through different repertoire to also find a new audience that appreciates their works.
Personally, I don't enjoy listening repeatedly to the same piece by a famous composer, even though you can always find something new in it. Usually, I prefer to discover new repertoire or approach familiar repertoire in an unconventional way. It is a challenge, and I am sure there is an audience that is just as enthusiastic about new musical discoveries as I am.
Do you yourself dive into the archives in search of new repertoire? Or do you work with musicologists?
Particularly for early music, musicological research is really important. It helps us performers understand the music on a deeper level. When I research a new composer, I read a lot of musicological research that is published about him or the artistic period in general. For this album too, for example, I studied many articles by musicologists. Not only about the composers or the musical instruments, but also about the artistic and political context in which the musicians lived and worked.
The music of Santiago de Murcia is diverse and features different styles, musical languages and influences. How do you experience his music as a performer and which aspects of his oeuvre have you brought to life on your album?
The aim of the album was to explore the relationship between the Italian and the Spanish style; these two are two very different styles. Murcia's music makes this interesting for several reasons. First, he is one of the last composers for baroque guitar and his musical language is advanced. Second, he attempted in his baroque guitar tablatures to push the boundaries of what was possible with the instrument. And finally, he had a very European vision and integrated different traditions into his own music.
In the album, this relationship is translated into the Corelli transcriptions and the more folkloristic pieces such as Canarios [track 10] or Jácaras [track 16]. In the Corelli transcriptions - which were originally written for violin and basso continuo but here are played solely on the baroque guitar - you must play the melody, the bass and the continuo together. To make this possible, Murcia overcame the limitations of the instrument and also experimented with what the instrument had to offer in the variations of all the dances.
If I had to describe the composer and his music, I would say that he was a mature composer, but at the same time remained curious about the musical possibilities of the baroque guitar.
So when putting together the programme, you really focused on the Italian and Spanish style. What are, for you, the differences between the two in the music of Santiago de Murcia?
In my opinion, there is a major difference between these two styles that is clearly evident in the structure of the music. In the Spanish repertoire (in pieces such as Jácaras, Canarios and Fandango), the music often has an open and freer structure. In the Italian repertoire, on the other hand, particularly in Corelli's music, the music is driven by a beautiful, fixed structure.
A second difference is that in the Italian repertoire, melody plays a very prominent role, while in the Spanish folkloristic repertoire, there is a rhythmic component that gives the music its drive. For me, it was interesting to explore how the baroque guitar could express these two different styles. This album showcases the possibilities of an instrument that can be both melodic and rhythmic. In pieces like Tarantelas [track 08] you hear a prominent percussive effect, while in the slow sections of Corelli you can listen to the lyrical beauty of a melody.
In the Spanish repertoire, I also had the freedom to experiment more with ornamentation. I sought out different solutions and special effects, such as different types of golpe (a playing technique where one taps with the fingers on the soundboard of the instrument) or rasgueado techniques (rhythmic, fast strumming that characterizes flamenco so much).
Your album Entre dos almas received many positive reviews. Do you plan to release other concert programmes on cd in the future?
In recent years, I have been fortunate to experiment with new music for historical instruments and discover new possibilities. Especially for the theorbo. I have a duo with classical guitarist Magnus Andersson, one of the leading guitarists for contemporary music. He plays both classical and electric guitar and I play the theorbo and baroque guitar. Together with Magnus, we want to continue this collaboration and try more new pieces for this special duo.
I also performed as a theorbo player in a new piece by Claudio Ambrosini (°1948) Tancredi appresso il combattimento (2019) which is the epilogue to Monteverdi's Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (1624). It was a wonderful experience to play such beautiful contemporary music.
I am also working on a new album that will be released by Arcana over the course of next year. It is something very special that reveals unexpected possibilities for the theorbo. Let me finally say that I am very grateful to Outhere and especially to the artistic director of the Arcana label Giovanni Sgaria who supports me in my artistic adventures.
Entre dos almas
- WHO: Stefano Maiorana [baroque guitar]
- WHAT: Arcana A484
- ORDER: JPC