The Folia's transition to European courts was greatly aided by guitar virtuosos, as the instrument experienced a flowering in the 17th century and was popular in Spanish, Italian, and French courts.
Historical Context
The word 'Folia' may derive from Portuguese, meaning 'boisterous ebullience' or 'entertainment', or from Spanish/Italian, meaning 'frenzy' or 'craziness'.
Historical Context
The Folia's unrestrained character led to repeated prohibitions by both temporal power and clergy in its early stages.
Historical Context
The Folia likely originated in the 15th century in the Iberian Peninsula as a dance for popular classes, characterized by such fast and exuberant music that dancers seemed to lose their senses.
Composition History
The earliest compositions explicitly bearing the title 'Folia' only appear in a manuscript dating from 1593.
Composition History
Giovanni Paolo Foscarini, who worked in Brussels and Paris, was the first musician to publish a printed guitar tablature in 1639, and his Folia appeared in his 1640 collection.
Cultural Impact
The Folia theme continued to be used by composers such as Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, Antonio Salieri, and Sergei Rachmaninov, who created the most famous 20th-century usage with his Variations, Op 42.
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