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Session Report: Baroque violinist Davina Clarke on The Art of Obligato

2025-01-03T07:45:00

Headshot Bach Album

Baroque violinist Davina Clarke speaks to Harry White about her new album, The Art of Obligato, which explores the intricate interplay between vocal and instrumental lines in Bach’s sacred cantatas

The transition from performer-led interpretation of the 17th century to the more definitive scores of the Enlightenment may well be rooted in the art of obbligato. From the Italian verb obbligare, the term denotes the Baroque practice of precisely notating passages for an accompanying force, as opposed to relying on the improvisatory powers of continuo playing…

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