¡Sacabuche!
Album Description
Early 17th-century Italian motets with dedicated trombone parts are the focus of this debut ATMA album by ¡Sacabuche! Ensemble. Directed by Canadian trombonist Linda Pearse, these works document the growing 17th-century tendency towards naming particular instruments and composing idiomatic parts for them. The trombones don't just double the voices—they serve a continuo role, providing harmonic texture to the moving vocal lines, and sometimes even serve as an additional wordless choir. This recording represents the culmination of seventeen years of research, publication, performance, and pedagogy by Linda Pearse, who has been collecting 17th-century Italian sacred motets with dedicated trombone parts since 1997. A critical edition of this music was published by A-R Editions in 2014.
Press
This early music sackbut and vocal ensemble knows this repertoire well — even if the listener doesn't. Francesco Usper, Gasparo Casati, and Stefano Pasino aren't familiar even to many baroque music aficionados — but they should be. The music on this recording is all well-constructed and tuneful. And impeccably played. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Sacabuche' are a sackbut and vocal ensemble that specialise in little-known repertoire for baroque trombones, organ and voice. This is their first released album, and it's a winner. I heard some tracks off the cd on the radio, and was instantly impelled to buy this cd; the music is sublime, and the performances stunning.
Une petite merveille à avoir dans sa discothèque! Des motets exhumés d'archives où ils étaient voués à l'oubli, ramenés à la vie d'une manière brillante, légère, sensible et profonde par des artistes engagés et investis! Une vraie réussite! (Translation: "A little marvel to have in your record collection! Motets exhumed from archives where they were destined for oblivion, brought back to life in a brilliant, light, sensitive and profound way by committed and invested artists! A real success!")
Every work on this release specifically calls for trombones as part of the continuo. And the trombones don't just double the voices. They also serve a continuo role, providing harmonic texture to the moving vocal lines. And sometimes even serve as an additional wordless choir.