Tiento de falsas (2015)

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) — Tiento de falsas (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 falsas" was written for American organist Carson Cooman. Historically such pieces were characterized by frequent use of dissonance for dramatic effect. The “falsas” of the title refers to “false notes” (dissonances) outside of the principal key. The work’s musical trajectory is built from the contrast of dissonance and consonance. In this piece, a prominent reed/trumpet stop (“trompeteria”) is featured, which is another hallmark of many pieces from the Iberian repertoire.

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.