Costanzo Antegnati (1549–1624)
Ricercar del Primo Tono
Ricercar del Secondo Tono
Ricercar del Terzo Tono
Ricercar del Quarto Tono
Ricercar del Quinto Tono
Ricercar del Sesto Tono
Ricercar del Settimo Tono
Ricercar del Ottavo Tono
Ricercar del Nono Tono
Ricercar del Decimo Tono
Ricercar del Undecimo Tono
Ricercar del Duodecimo Tono

Anton Holzner (?1599–1635)
Canzon prima
Canzon seconda
Canzon terza

Ercole Pasquini (?-1608/19)
6 Toccata del Settimo Tono

Vincenzo Pellegrini (?1562–1630)
Canzon "La Serpentina"

Agostino Soderini (1598–1608)
Canzon "La Ducalina"

Federico Del Sordo, orgue, clavecin

Orgue Meiarini (1630), Eglise Saint Marie de Brescia, Italie
Clavecin Francesco Marini
Clavicorde Michele Chiaramida

Les Antegnati exercèrent comme facteurs d'orgue en Italie du Nord dans la province de Brescia du XVe au XVIIème siècle. Sur quatre générations, ils purent ainsi réaliser plusieurs centaines d'instruments repartis dans les grandes cités italiennes. Des Antegnani, Costanzo demeure « le » compositeur, auteur des douze ricercari enregistrés ici par l'organiste italien Federico Del Sordo sur un orgue sis à Brescia et construit par Tomaso Meiarini (1630) mais installé par un Antegnani. L'organiste a choisi d'ajouter à son programme quatre musiciens de la même période mais aussi judicieusement un clavecin et un clavicorde afin d'éviter la monotonie qu'engendre un instrument à un seul clavier et aux registres limités. Les douze ricercari sur les douze tons d'Antegnani se distinguent par un contrepoint aussi noble que sévère qui précède la manière d'un Frescobaldi. Del Sordo alterne pièces et instruments au gré de sa fantaisie. Les canzon en canon d'Anton Holzner sont joués sur un clavecin et les quelques pièces de caractère (La Serpentina (Vincenzo Pellegrini), La Ducalina (Agostino Soderini)) s'égaient librement sur le clavicorde. Un programme aussi pensé qu'admirablement interprété. (Jérôme Angouillant)

The Antegnatis were a family of organ builders who produced some of the bestknown instruments of the 16th century, many of which can be found in churches across northern Italy. In total, they constructed an estimated 400 organs. Costanzo Antegnati was perhaps the most influential member of the family, and his set of 12 ricercars – the centrepiece of this recording – was published alongside his treatise on organ tuning and registration. The compositions were of such high quality and popularity that they were subsequently included in the Intavolatura d’organo tedesca, the most extensive manuscript source of keyboard works known today, containing a good 1,770 pieces by composers from Italy and Northern Europe. Interwoven between Antegnati's pieces are works by other composers of the same period. Notable among these is Anton Holzer's three canzoni, of which this is the first complete recording, and Agostino Soderini's Canzon La Ducalina, a fascinating short piece in which the keyboard writing closely follows the pronunciation of a virtual text and at times sounds like poetry being recited. Federico Del Sordo is a renowned continuo player who has devoted himself for more than 15 years to the study of the alternatim repertoire. For this recording, he performs primarily on a 17th-century organ installed in a Brescia church by Graziadio Antegnati III; variety is added to the set by the inclusion of harpsichord and clavichord performances.