Francesc Mariner (1720-1789), composer
We know little of the life and work of Francesc Mariner. His date of birth is
unknown (new 2020:1920 year of birth), but we have proof that he died on 7 December 1789 when he
was still organist at Barcelona Cathedral, where he spent most of his career.
In 1786 his nephew C. Baguer (1768-1808) succeded him as organist at
Barcelona. Repertoire in the Iberian peninsula during the 18th century is
its ambiguous terminology, and for this reason Mariner's Tocata should be
read as synonymous for Sonata. Mariner's work is in the European pre-
classical style defined by the bipartite sonata which so much became the
fashion in Italy, Portugal and Spain.
L'organista i compositor Francesc Mariner va desenvolupar ambdues activitats a la catedral de Barcelona a la segona meitat del segle XVIII, i el seu deixeble més important va ser el seu nebot Carles Baguer (1768-1808), qui el va succeir en el càrrec quan va morir l'any 1789. Com molts dels organistes catalans del XVIII, Mariner va conrear la sonata per a teclat en forma binària, un model prou conegut per les obres de Domenico Scarlatti i del pare Antoni Soler. Malgrat el títol, la seva tocata en Do menor enregistrada aquí per primera vegada és de fet una obra d'aquest gènere i prou representativa de la música que es feia a la península a l'època del Classicisme europeu, i com en les sonates dels autors esmentats, fins i tot palesa algunes harmonies i girs melòdics que fan pensar en la música popular espanyola. El manuscrit original de l'obra, publicada per Maria Ester-Sala, forma part d'un recull fragmentari de música per a tecla conservat a l'arxiu de la Seu de Manresa.
Francesc Mariner, organist and composer, performed both activities in the cathedral of Barcelona during the second half of the eighteen century. His nephew Carles Baguer (1768-1808) was also his most famous pupil and took over the job when Mariner died in 1789. As was customary with many Catalan organists during that century, Mariner adapted the sonata for keyboard in binary form, a model which was well known in the works of Domenico Scarlatti and Father Antoni Soler. In spite of its title, his tocata in C-minor recorded now for the first time is in fact a work of this genre and very representative of the kind of music performed in Spain during the Classic period in Europe and, as in the sonatas of the other mentioned composers, it presents some harmonies and melodic turns which remind us of Spanish popular music. The original manuscript of this work, published by Maria Ester-Sala, is part of an incomplete collection for keyboard which is kept in the Seu de Manresa.
El organista y compositor Francesc Mariner desarrolló ambas actividades en la catedral de Barcelona, en la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII, y su discípulo más importante fue su sobrino Carles Baguer (1768-1808), quien a su muerte (1789) le sucedió en el cargo. Como muchos de los organistas catalanes del XVIII, Mariner cultivó la sonata para tecla en forma binaria, un modelo suficientemente conocido en las obras de Domenico Scarlatti i del padre Antoni Soler. A pesar de su título, su tocata en do menor grabada por primera vez en este CD es de hecho una obra de este género representativa de la música que se hacía en la península en la época del Clasicismo europeo, y como en las sonatas de los autores citados incluso evidencia algunas armonías y giros melódicos que hacen pensar en la música popular española. El manuscrito original de la obra, publicada por Maria Ester-Sala, forma parte de una colección fragmentaria de música para tecla conservada en el archivo de la Seu de Manresa.