HISTORIA ECCLESIAE ALBAE

Historia Ecclesiae Albae, “Racconti dalla bassa bergamasca,” is a programmatic work dedicated to the town of Ghisalba (whose Latin name was Ecclesiae Albae) and commissioned by the local wind band, Corpo Bandistico Musicale Canonico Cossali, to Luciano Feliciani. The piece consists of four linked parts that musically evoke events related to the history of the town. The beautiful valley of the river Serio and the birth of the first rural settlements along its banks inspired the first part. The initial theme, simple and delicate, and the extended and open harmonies, describe a panoramic "flight" over the valley, which becomes majestic and triumphal to represent the birth of the ancient medieval village. The second part, a sweet and expressive Adagio, is an elaboration of the "Canto di Tonolla," which evokes the miracle and the cult of the Madonna della Consolazione and the building of the Sanctuary in her honor. The third contrasting part, a dark frenetic and powerful Allegro, is a modified reprise of some of the themes previously introduced, which describes the dangerous flood of the river Serio that destroyed the old bridge in 1977. In the final part, some of the main themes come back in a "Grandioso" tempo to express hope in an ever better future for the town of Ghisalba.