DANISH MUSIC FOR BRASS
Is a series of recordings with brass players from the Royal Danish Orchestra
as chamber music players or soloists
Arr. Mogens Andresen:
MUSIC FROM THE ROYAL COURT OF
KING CHRISTIAN IV (1596-1648)
CHRISTAN 4 (1577-1648)
Magnus Thomsen: SERENADE
Alessandro Orologio: INTRADA
Truid Aagesen: EMILIA MIA GENTILE
William Brade: DIE NACHTIGALL
Mogens Pedersøn: ECCO LA PRIMAVERA
John Dowland: THE KING OF DENMARK’s GALLIARD
John Dowland: FLOW MY TEARS
Trad.: LET IT RING SWEETLY ON HIGH
https://orcd.co/brass07
ROYAL DANISH ORCHESTRA BRASS ENSEMBLE
Ketil Christensen, Bjarne Nielsen, Søren Emtoft – trumpet / Henning Hansen – horn / Thorbjörn Kroon – alto trombone / Keld jørgensen – tenor trombone / Mogens Andresen – bass trombone & euphonium / Jørgen Arnsted – tuba / Ole Pedersen – percussion
Executive producer – Ole Høglund
THE ROYAL DANISH ORCHESTRA
THE ROYAL DANISH ORCHESTRA’s EMBLEM, THE ROYAL TRUMPET CORPS., engraving from 1583. The Royal Danish Orchestra is the the world’s oldest orchestral institution. It started out 1448 as a trumpeter corps, and today it is an opera and symphony orchestra based at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen.
During the reign of the danish King Christian 4 (1596-1648) music in Copenhagen flourished and the danish capital became one of the leading music centers in Europe. The king was very found of music and he succeeded in getting some of the most famous European musicians to the royal danish court.
THE MUSICIANS CEILING (1617) in the kings chambers, Rosenborg Castle with portraits of the king musicians. The painting is attributed to Frantz Clein.
MAGNUS THOMSEN (1596-1609) was a german trumpeter employed at the royal danish trumpet corps. His Serenade is one of the few impaired pieces for trumpet corps. Only one part was written down, the other 4 trumpet parts and the timpani part was improvised.
ALESSANDRO OROLOGIO (1551-1633) Was an Italian trumpet player and composer. He was not employed in Copenhagen but the recorded INTRADA is dedicated to Chr.4.
TRUID AAGESEN (1593-1625) was a teacher for the royal children.
WILLIAN BRADE (1560-1630) was a viola player and composer from England.
MOGENS PEDERSØN (1585-1626) was one of the leading danish musicians at the court. As a young member of the King’s Chapel Choir. He was sent on a one-year study trip to Venice and took lessons with Giovanni Gabrieli. He later became vice chapel master.
JOHN DOWLAND (1563-1626) was one af the most famous musicians in Europe. Dowland was highly estimated in Copenhagen. He got an unusually high salary, the same size as an admiral in the Danish Navy. When he came to Copenhagen he had a “Battle Galliard” with him. For this occasion he changes the title to THE KING OF DENMARK’s GALLIARD. The full title are: “The Most High and Mighty Christianus the fourth, King of Denmark – his Galliard”.
Although THE MUSICIANS CEILING was painted long time after Dowland left Copenhagen, one of the portrayed musicians is supposed to be Dowland:
The 16th century precursors of today’s brass instruments were the natural trumpet (seen on the engraving of the royal trumpet corps), the cornetto (a recorder similar instrument with trumpet mouthpiece) and the trombone, called sackbutt. On this 2 closed ups there are portraits of the royal cornetto players and sackbutt players:
2 ROYAL CORNETTO PLAYERS
3 ROYAL SACKBUTT (TROMBONE) PLAYERS