Another substantial and varied piece built on a simple melody.
This lively work comes from Frescobaldi’s Il Primo Libro di Capricci, Canzon Fracese e Recercari fatti sopra diversi soggetti, et arie in partitura, published in Venice in 1626.
This collection, although primarily intended for keyboard, was published in score on four staves, and most of the pieces actually work very well as ensemble pieces. As the title suggests, many of the works are based on a single idea or tune: there is capriccio built round the two notes of the cuckoo, another round the five-note La Sol Fa Re Mi (A-G-F-D-E) that was treated by so many composers from Josquin onwards. Two pieces are based on dance tunes, one on what Frescobaldi calls the Bassa Fiamenga (the Dutch/German tune called “Braunsmedilijn“), and this present one, on the Spagnoletta which was one of the most popular dance tunes in Italy around 1600, and there are many different settings. Like other popular tunes, it travelled, and many recorder players will be familiar with the settings by Michael Praetorius.
The transcription follows the original quite closely, without any need for radical surgery. The composer was quite careful in indicating accidentals, and only the occasional editorial accidental (in brackets) was required.
(Bernard Thomas)
