The performer, Bud Roach, made subjective decisions on whether to use theorbo or baroque guitar for the bass line, based on the rhetorical amplification of the text in each aria.
Album & Artwork
The album title, "Affetti Amorosi," is borrowed from a 1618 collection of arias by Giovanni Stefani, one of the composers featured on this recording.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album challenges modern ideas of authorship, as unattributed arrangements and musical borrowing were common in this period, leading to "families of songs" rather than direct lineages.
Performer Biography
Bud Roach, the tenor and theorbo player on this album, specializes in self-accompanied Italian monody and has received international acclaim for his solo recordings.
Historical Context
The album aims to recreate a typical performance model from 1620s Venice: a solo singer accompanying themselves on the theorbo or baroque guitar.
Composition History
Many of the composers on this album were connected through their employment in Venice, particularly at the Basilica di San Marco, or through their publisher, Vincenti.
Compositional Technique
The music on this album reflects a blend of Florentine Camerata ideals with the energetic strumming rhythms of the Spanish guitar, often notated using 'alfabeto' symbols.
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