Tiento de lleno (2015)

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) — Tiento de lleno (2015) for organ

"Three Tientos" (2015) is a set of organ pieces inspired by the early Iberian keyboard repertoire. Originating in Spain in the mid-15th century, the tiento was the Spanish equivalent of the fantasia (fantasy) as found in England, Germany, and the Netherlands, and the ricercare as found in Italy. By the end of 16th century, the tiento had become the predominant form of the Spanish organ tradition, where many practitioners continued to develop it, most notably Juan Bautista José Cabanilles, arguably the greatest composer of the Spanish baroque.

"Tiento de lleno" was written for Welsh organist Peter Clark. It is headed by the text of Revelation 4:8: “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is and is to come.” The resplendent mood of the piece echoes this text. The title “tiento de lleno” referred to a composition played on a single sound: the full (“lleno”) registers of the organ.

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) is an Italian composer. Educated at the Conservatory in Milan, she has composed in many genres, developing a personal language that is concerned with the blend of past and present. Her compositions have been performed frequently around the world. Ferrari’s music appears on several CD recordings, including four all-Ferrari organ CDs: three recorded by Carson Cooman (2014/16) and another by Peter Clark (2015). She is currently the chair of music composition at Hebei Normal University in Shijiazhuang, China.