This second selection from the songs in popular style by Filippo Azzaiolo contains the classic Girometta, senza te that inspired a great many arrangements.
- Mille gentil salute
- Girometta, senza te
- Elevaime d’una bella mattina
- Bernado non può stare
- Bona via faccia barca
This is the second selection of villotte by Azzaiolo in the present series: five pieces from his Il primo libro de villotte can be found in TM 50 ↣.
Almost nothing is known about Filippo Azzaiolo, except that he was probably born in, and certainly worked in, Bologna, around the middle of the sixteenth century. But his villotte alla padoana, his only known works, were among the most influential of collections of light vocal music of the period, Many of his pieces became popular works for variations or other types of elaboration, this being especially true of Chi pass per sta strada (see TM50). Azzaiolo’s villotte were published in three books from 1557 to 1569. The second book, from which all the present works are taken, is headed: Il Secondo libro de villotte alla Padoana a quattro voci, con alcurne Napolitane e Madrigali intitolate villotte del fiore (Venice, 1564). This is a slightly more varied collection than the Primo Libro, with an occasional Napolitana and the present Venetiana as well as the usual villotte.
Girometta, senza te is probably the earliest surviving setting of a popular melody that has come down in many settings.
(Bernard Thomas)
