A curious appendix in a couple of the Handel Gesellschaft volumes offers ornamental harpsichord arrangements by William Babell of airs from Handel operas. He in fact published a large number of versions of extracts from popular operas of the time, and these gained wide circulation both in this country and abroad in collections aimed at genteel young ladies (for whom a modest competence at the keyboard was a social asset). The transcriptions from Handel's Rinaldo (1711) are so elaborately smothered in brilliant scales, arpeggios and other embellishments that Hawkins averred that ''few could play the lessons but himself'', and Burney acidly commented that Babell ''acquired great celebrity without the assistance of taste''; but the versions of works by other composers that had been produced in London in 1709 and 1710 are much less ornate and were clearly designed for players of modest attainments.

The concertos of Francesco Mancini (1672-1737) recorded here all come from a 1725 manuscript collection now in the Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica di Napoli…The collection is entitled "Concerti di Flauto, Violino, Violetta e Basso di Diversi Autori". Interestingly enough, in the individual part-books, the pieces are all called "sonatas". This discrepancy of nomenclature reflects the general fluidity of form throughout the Baroque era. The forms of pieces called "concerto", "quartet", "sonata", "canzona", and "fantasia" were not standardized, and the terms were frequently used interchangeably.

Following our collection of German baroque virtuosic recorder concertos two years ago, Michael Schneider now turns to baroque Italy. Schneider shows just what wonderful recorder discoveries can be made in Italy in addition to Vivaldi's works, which he has also presented on cpo.

Settecento is the style of art, music and architecture that emerged in Italy in the early 18th century, celebrated here by La Serenissima and Adrian Chandler with a collection of works from that era. The works are grouped by the areas of Italy where each composer worked, including the Kingdom of Naples (Scarlatti, Mancini), Republic of Venice (DallAbaco, Vandini, Tartini & Vivaldi) and the Papal States / Bologna (Brescianello). The ensemble La Serenissima is recognized as the UKs leading exponent of the music of 18th-century Venice and connected composers. Uniquely, the groups entire repertoire is edited from manuscript or contemporary sources.

Venice, Rome, Naples witnessed the birth of the compositions found on this CD, places with pasts of thriving musical communities. In addition, these contained some of the greatest artistic innovation of the time.The "stile moderno", which marks the beginning of a new period in music, has its origins in Italy in the late 16th century, when composers such as Claudio Monteverdi and Giulio Caccini created a new expressive style, soon to affect the development of the whole of occidental music.

With I Viaggi di Faustina Glossa is launching a new collection focusing on famous Italian singers from the 17th and 18th centuries, whose travels bear witness to the intense level of artistic activity then taking place in the major cities of Europe. Faustina Bordoni, the brilliant diva with whom we begin this series pursued her career mainly in Naples (the principal focus of this CD) and Venice, but also in cities such as Bologna, Parma, Dresden and London. These were cities hosting – with great success – operas by Johann Adolph Hasse (Bordoni’s husband), Nicola Popora, Leonardo Vinci, Francesco Mancini and Domenico Sarro; most of these composers are represented on this first selection of wonderful arias.

Francesco Mancini (1672-1737) was born in Naples, and worked initially as an organist at the Cappella Reale, an institution he would direct some years later until he was replaced by Alessandro Scarlatti in 1708. Mancini composed many concertos and sonatas, and the works on these CDs were first published in London in 1724. The music contained in these sonatas displays Mancini’s gift for great expressivity and lyricism. The material is developed skillfully in ways that often lead to considerable tension and drama. The spirit of the dance is never far away from the finales and often contrast with the tense and dramatic opening movements and the long slow movements.

The so-called 'Naples Manuscript' which is mentioned in the title of this disc is kept in the library of the Conservatorio di Musica San Pietro a Majella in Naples, and bears the title Concerti di Flauto, Violini, Violetta e Basso, di Diversi Autori. The 24 compositions in the manuscript are chamber concertos for recorder, two violins and bc, with three of them containing a part for a viola.

I sette pezzi presentati in questo CD sono conservati in una singola collezione manoscritta datata 1725. I concerti testimoniano l'intensa raffinatezza di un genere ormai poco conosciuto: pezzi per flauto, due violini e basso continuo; una forma che mette efficacemente insieme le caratteristiche del solo sonata, trio sonata e concerto. Il manoscritto è conservato presso la biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica di San Pietro a Maiella di Napoli.