Trittico Sacro per organo - Santo Spinelli 1902-1944

Organista: Davide Paleari
Organo Mascioni 1932, Basilica del Seminario Arcivescovile di Milano (Venegono Inferiore)

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Santo Spinelli (1902-1944) was an important organist and composer from Milan, where he studied at the local Conservatory with G. Ramella (organ), E. Pozzoli (piano and composition), C. Gatti (instrumentation) and G. Bas (gregorian chant).
He was appointed organist at the Duomo of Milan in 1924 and kept this position until his death. In 1932 he began teaching organ and composition of sacred music at the Scuola Superiore di Canto Ambrosiano (the present PIAMS).
In 1935 he also taught organ and gregorian chant at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan and at the Music High School in Piacenza.
Moreover, as music teacher he worked in seminaries and other schools in the Milanese diocese, where he had among his students Bruno Bettinelli and Luciano Migliavacca.
The manuscript of the TRITTICO SACRO dates back to 1935 and until a few years ago people thought it had gone lost. Actually, one surviving copy (maybe the only one) was kept by Renato Fait, who was Santo Spinelli’s successor as organist at the Duomo of Milan from 1946. The music archive of M° Fait was recently donated by the heirs to the Pontificio Istituto Ambrosiano di Musica Sacra (PIAMS) of Milan, and the manuscript was found there by the editor of the present publication, who teaches organ at the Institute.
The triptych embodies the model of descriptive music inspired by the Bible. In the Milanese area a triptych for organ (Christmas, Good Friday, Easter) had already been composed by Arnaldo Galliera (1871-1934), with the same artistic inspiration.
Santo Spinelli had the chance of playing this composition many times, and this is proved by the indications about stops written with pencil on the music sheets. In particular, the piece Passione was played by Spinelli on 17th November 1938, at the concert for the inauguration of the organs at the Duomo of Milan.
The manuscript shows a clear writing, and very few corrections were made by the composer. The reconstruction of the indications about stops is quite more uncertain; the various indications very likely refer to a Balbiani-Vegezzi-Bossi organ, maybe the one in Santa Maria Segreta (the instrument that was in that church before the present organ by Tamburini).
The indications about stops have been completed by the editor, considering what was noted on the music sheets and the organ aesthetics of that time. The ideal organ for a comfortable execution would be a three-manuals one, however a two-manuals organ with a 30 notes pedal can also be used.
The first piece Natività is a pastoral scene, with well-structured thematic elements, both from a melodic and a harmonic point of view.
The piece Passione, high in dramatic tension, finds its peak of sound in the central part; the writing of the pedal line in the opening and final parts is very interesting, thanks to the use of harmonic tools that are wisely conceived and tastefully set.
In the final scene Risurrezione it is possible to catch Spinelli’s ability in highlighting his knowledge of counterpoint inside the musical taste of the time. The opening theme is presented many times in various tonal keys, thus forming a long in crescendo prelude resulting in the maestoso ending choral. The final pedal part resembles the virtuosity of Raffaele Manari, who had marked the composing style for organ in Italy during the Thirties.

Santo Spinelli (1902-1944) è stato un importante organista e compositore milanese, allievo al Conservatorio di Milano di Giuseppe Ramella (organo), Ettore Pozzoli (pianoforte e composizione), e Giulio Bas (canto gregoriano).
Fu organista titolare del Duomo di Milano dal 1924, detenne l’incarico fino alla morte.
Dal 1932 Iniziò ad insegnare organo e composizione sacra nella Scuola Superiore di canto ambrosiano (l’attuale PIAMS).
Nel 1935 svolse anche attività didattica, come docente di organo e canto gregoriano, al Conservatorio “G. Verdi” di Milano e al Liceo Musicale di Piacenza.
Il manoscritto del TRITTICO SACRO risale al 1935 e fino a qualche anno fa si pensava fosse andato perduto.
In realtà una copia superstite (forse l’unica) era in possesso di Renato Fait, che è stato successore di Santo Spinelli in qualità di organista titolare del Duomo di Milano a partire dal 1946.
Recentemente l’archivio musicale del Maestro Fait è stato donato dagli eredi al Pontificio Istituto Ambrosiano di Musica Sacra (PIAMS) di Milano
Il Trittico Sacro incarna il modello di musica descrittiva d’ispirazione biblica.