Galilei: Lute Music

Galilei: Fronimo

Dialogo sopra l'Arte del bene intavolare et rettamente sonare la Musica
Andrea Damiani
Stradivarius 33482

Contents:

1. Calliope
2. Ricercare del primo tuono per b quadro
3. Ricercare a quattro voci di B. M.
4. Ricercare del secondo tuono per b quadro
5. Passemezzo sesto
6. Romanesca sesta
7. Saltarello sesto
8. Polimnia
9. Ricercare del settimo tuono per b
10. A caso un giorno di Wert a 5 voci
11. Dianira
12. Ricercare del nono tuono per b
13. Vestiva i colli a cinque di Palestrina
14. Così le chiome mie, seconda parte
15. Clio
16. Se ben non veggion gli occhi (Palestrina) a 5 voci
17. Tanto co' lieti suoni, Merulo a 5 voci
18. Che y vaghi suoni, seconda parte, a 5 voci
19. Fiordiligi
20. Io son ferito ahi lasso, a 5 di Palestrina
21. Ultimi miei sospiri, a 6 di Verdelot
22. Moravia
23. Fantasia seconda, sopra Anchor che col partire
24. Aretusa I
25. Io mi son giovinetta, a 4 del Domenico Ferrabosco
26. Aretusa II

Instrument: Lute by Michael Lowe (Oxford, 1990) after M. Tieffenbrucker, 16th century

Playing time: 69'

Recording date: October 1997 (Torino)

Vincenzo Galilei (c.1530-1591) was one of the most innovative & important theoreticians of 16th century Italy, as well as a composer of some interest. Much of his music is for the lute and perhaps his most valuable theory text, the Fronimo on the present CD title, concerns the lute. It is the most important lute treatise of 16th century Italy. He was also, of course, the father of the epoch-making Galileo Galilei.

Galilei's theory and style were very contrapuntally oriented, and involved more rigor and less showmanship than comparable lute manuals of the time. He was also involved with the Florentine Camerata and their inquiries into ancient Greek music, some of which was reflected in his later theory, as well as in some of the titles of the lute music for the present program.

Another recording:

Galilei: Works for lute

Massimo Lonardi / Ugo Nastrucci
Agorá Musica 137

And a recording devoted to music by Galilei's "other" son:

Michelangelo Galilei: Il Primo libro d'intavolatura di liuto

Axel Wolf
Oehms Classics 1877

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