Description
La Folia has to be one of the world’s most enduring melodies. From its roots in 15th century Portuguese folk music to the present day it has captured the attention of countless composers over the centuries. Its name (which means ‘folly’ or ‘madness’) refers to its earliest incarnations as a whirling, noisy dance. By the 16th century La Folia’s popularity had spread across the Mediterranean. Come 1650 and La Folia had mellowed and slowed and its melody became more ‘fixed’. By 1700 sheet music of pieces borrowing La Folia were widely available across much of Europe and further afield in South America.
La Folia is not only an attractive melody it is also inherently adaptable, lending itself to all manner of diverse treatments. So, even when the theme is repeated over and over, it never becomes dull. In this arrangement for wind quintet, music spanning over 250 years from composers in France, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Russia is presented chronologically. Interestingly, but for three years, the lifetimes of all the composers overlapped:
- 1672: Lully – Air des Hautbois from Les folies d’Espagne (LWV 48)
- 1700: Corelli – Violin Sonata in D minor, Op.5 No.12 ‘La Folia’
- 1705: Vivaldi – Trio Sonata No. 12 in D minor, RV 63
- 1723: Scarlatti – Folia from 29 Partite sopra l’aria della Folia
- 1742: Bach, J.S. – Mer Hahn en neue Oberkeet from the ‘Peasant’ Cantata
- 1798: Cherubini – Overture to the opera Hôtellerie portugaise
- 1809: Beethoven – Piano Concerto No.5, 1st mvt. (Emperor)
- 1858: Liszt – Rhapsodie Espagnole
- 1931: Rachmaninoff – Variations on a theme by Corelli
