Este libro es de Don Luis Rossi (Alpha Collection)

Featuring

Marion Fourquier
Lucien Kandel
Pauline Van Laarhoven
Martin Bauer
Cristiana Presutti
Ensemble Poiesis

Francesco Lambardo
Jacopo Peri
Giovanni de Macque
Carlo Gesualdo
Orazio Bassani
Claudio Monteverdi
Giovanni Maria Trabaci
Fabrizio Fillimarino
Anonymous

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Compositional Technique

Most pieces in the manuscript are written in four-voice score, a typical Neapolitan notation that allows for various performance options, including keyboard, harp, lutes, and consorts of instruments.

Composer Biography

Luigi Rossi, a leading 17th-century composer, was born around 1598 in Torremaggiore, a town in the Kingdom of Naples, and likely studied music in Naples through the noble Di Sangro family.

Instruments

The album features the viola bastarda, an instrument whose true nature was only recently reconstructed, which is a viola da gamba adapted for virtuoso diminutions.

Composition History

The manuscript, now in the British Library, was acquired at auction in 1877 and originally came from the Borghese collection in Rome.

Compositional Technique

The manuscript's content, despite its title, includes 34 pieces by 12 composers, with Giovanni de Macque, a Flemish composer active in Naples, being the most represented.

Composition History

The manuscript 'Il libro de don Luis Rossi' is an autograph manuscript by Luigi Rossi, a major 17th-century composer, and contains unique pieces by Monteverdi and Gesualdo.

Historical Context

The London manuscript provides rare insights into Luigi Rossi's early life, including his teacher Giovanni de Macque, his 14 years at the Naples court, and his precarious living conditions.