[+] Brown, Howard Mayer. “Bossinensis, Willaert, and Verdelot: Pitch and the Conventions of Transcribing Music for Lute and Voice in Italy in the Early Sixteenth Century.” Revue de Musicologie 75 (1989): 25-46.
Early sixteenth century collections of lute intabulations reveal that a lutenist’s core repertoire came from vocal music, including sacred works such as mass movements and secular works such as frottole and madrigals. These arrangements suggest that lutenists often accompanied vocalists. Intabulations for lute and solo voice by Franciscus Bossinensis and Willaert bear idiomatic features of musical reworking, including ornamentation and alteration. When Bossinensis transcribed frottole by Cara and Tromboncino, he utilized conventional melodic formulas to ornament the tenor voice. Willaert adapted madrigals by Verdelot, making necessary alterations at the cadences so that the grammatical and musical accents in the now solo vocal line properly aligned. Both composers utilized musica ficta, though Willaert did so with less restraint.
Works: Adrian Willaert: Quanto sia liet’il giorno (29-31); Franciscus Bossinensis: Afflitti spirti miei (33), Non val aqua mio gran foco (36), Quella bella e biancha mano (37); Anonymous: Vale diva mia, vale in pace (38).
Sources: Philippe Verdelot: Quanto sia liet’il giorno (29-31); Tromboncino: Afflitti spirti miei (33), Non val aqua mio gran foco (36), Vale diva mia, vale in pace (38); Antonio Caprioli: Quella bella e biancha mano (37).
Index Classifications: 1500s
Contributed by: Jaime Carini
