Passamezzi in Wurstisen lute book: compositional techniques and instrumental approaches
Passamezzi in Wurstisen lute book: compositional techniques and instrumental approaches

Summary/Abstract: The repertory of Wurstisen lute book (CH-BU MS. F.IХ.70) is distributed in eight parts (or books) on the basis of genre. The fifth book is dedicated especially to passamezzi – an impressive part of the manuscript in term of size and contents (122 pages with 107 pieces). It is assumed that the passamezzo emerges as a double-meter dance at the first half of 16th century and its music is composed upon a fixed chordal succession, like many of the popular ground forms at the time. During the second half of the century and especially toward its end, the passamezzo became a favorite ostinato frame for writing/improvising passages and variations, experimenting with compositional and instrumental techniques. For that reason it was a preferable pedagogical tool as well. On the other hand, it leads further to some remarkable and well-recognized sets of variations upon passacaglia, ciaccona and folia during the next century. The current paper concentrates on a selection of passamezzi from the Wurstisen lute book, representative of the varied approaches, applied to the ground form. Single pieces, sets of variations and untypical triple-meter passamezzi are discussed together with their afterdances. Focus of the discussion are compositional, instrumental and structural features, which aim to reveal a diversity of approaches to standard and fixed ground scheme.

• Details
• Contents