The first piece with basso continuo and how it can teach you counterpoint!

PRIMARY SOURCE

Emilio de' Cavalieri, Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo, (Rome, 1600) [original publication: imslp, modern edition: cpdl]

FOOTNOTES

1 [01:22] The publication shown in the video is Giovanni Croce, “Motetti a otto voci ... comodi per le voci, e per cantar con ogni stromento” (Venice: 1594).

2 [02:04] For example: Girolamo Diruta writes that those who won't make a score for the accompaniment, and instead will play only from the [unfigured] bass are bound to make mistakes [Girolamo Diruta, Il transilvano II 1609, fourth book, p.16]; Francesco Bianciardi writes that "if the player does not know the art of counterpoint or does not have great experience in playing by ear, he will easily ruin the composition instead of supporting it." [Francesco Bianciardi, Breve regola, 1607]; Agostino Agazzari writes that without numbers / figures above the bass there is no way for the organist to know/guess the notes of the composition [Agostino Agazzari, Del sonare sopra l'Basso..., 1607]; Tiburtio Massaino mentioned that although he had heard some satisfactory performances, he had heard even more in which the playing contained avoidable mistakes, detracting from the aria of the composition and the intentions of the composer [Massaino, Tibutio. Partitura per sonal nell' Organo della musica a una, due, et tre voci. (Venice, 1607). Quoted in Otto Kinkeldey, Orgel und Klavier, p.223].

3 [02:46] Cavalieri, being a gentiluomo, did not publish or dedicate the piece himself. Instead, he delegated the job to Alessandro Guidotti who also wrote the preface in which ‘the content and very probably most or all of the formulations are undoubtedly attributable to the composer’ (Kirkendale, Emilio de' Cavalieri, 233, 242, 258.). Cavalieri, Rappresentation, preface: “Li numeri piccolo posti sopra le note del Basso continuato per suonare, significano la Consonanaza, ò Dissonanaza d ital numero: come il 3. terza: il 4. quarta: e cosi di mano in mano. Quando il diesis # è posto avanti, overo sotto di un numero, tal consonanaza sarà sostentata: e in tal modo il b molle fa il suo effetto proprio.”

4 [06:56] Cavalieri, Rappresentation, preface: "Quando il dieses posto sopra le dette note, non è accompagnato con numero, sempre significa Decima maggiore."

5 [13:09] B. Bismantova, Compendio musicale (Ferrara, 1677), p. [79 -80].

FURTHER READING ON CAVALIERI'S CONTINUO:

Elam Rotem, PhD: "Early Basso Continuo Practice: Implicit Evidence in the Music of Emilio de' Cavalieri" (2017, Universität Würzburg) [link]

CREDITS:

Created by Elam Rotem.

Many thanks to Jacob Lawrence and Doron Schleifer for Singing in the musical examples.

Special thanks to Anne Smith and Augusta Campagne.