ITALIAN CANTATAS

The Festival Internacional de Música Antigua de Tenerife presents the concert “Italian Cantatas”. The cantata started in the early 17^th century, at the same time as opera and oratorio. The oldest type of cantata, known as “cantata da camera”, was composed for a solo voice on a secular text. It contained several sections of opposing vocal forms, such as recitatives and arias. Italian writers of these pieces include Giulio Caccini, Claudio Monteverdi, and Jacopo Peri. Towards the end of the 17^th century, the cantata da camera became a composition for two or three voices. Händel composed cantatas which resembled small operas. They were lyrical cantatas of high dramatic content, some of which were conceived for voice and basso continuo, others for voice, basso continuo and orchestra. Outstanding pieces include Acis, Galatea and Polyphemus, and Apollo and Daphne.