Picchi: Canzon Decimasettima à8 (1625)

Description

A predominantly lively piece for two equal choirs, with plenty of good figuration in the upper part of each choir.

This is one of three double-choir canzonas in Giovanni Picchi’s Canzoni da sonar con ogni sorte d’istromenti. A Due, Tre, Quattro, Sei, & Otto Voci, con il suo Basso Continuo, published in Venice by Alessandro Vincenti in 1625.

Picchi’s collection is especially interesting in that all the works except the double-choir pieces are specifically scored. Most are for the usual Venetian mixtures of cornetts, violins and sackbuts, but two pieces call for the fagotto (bass dulcian/curtal), and three for flauto (recorder), always in combination with other instruments.

Picchi is, of course, known primarily as a composer of keyboard music; his balli are among the most original keyboard pieces of their time. By contrast, his ensemble music is a little more conservative. However, the present piece is unusual in its frequent alternation between duple and triple time, the more so that the same material is used in both metres. The immediate question is what the relationship should be between the two metres: theoretically it should be bar = bar, but it is perhaps more important that the music in each metre should be clearly defined in character, rather than mathematically related.