Giacomo Gorzanis: Solo Lute Music

Featuring

Michele Carreca
Giacomo Gorzanis

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Historical Context

Some of Gorzanis's music likely traveled to England due to attempts to arrange a marriage between Archduke Charles II and Queen Elizabeth I, with pieces appearing in a 1583 English manuscript.

Recording & Production

Many tracks on this album are world premiere recordings, including Fantasia quinta, Saltarello dito l'Imperial, and Fantasia Prima.

Composer Biography

Giacomo Gorzanis, a lutenist born around 1525 in Apulia, was blind and resided permanently in Trieste from at least 1557.

Composition History

Giacomo Gorzanis dedicated his works to prominent figures in the Habsburg-controlled territories, including Archduke Charles Francis II of Austria.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Gorzanis's works reveal him as a brilliant composer who navigated the musical trends of his time with elegance, bridging the lute music of the early 16th century (vocal polyphony) and later decades (metamorphosis of musical style and instrument).

Composer Biography

Giacomo Gorzanis's last tablature book, Opera Nova de Lauto, was published posthumously by his son Massimiliano, indicating Gorzanis died between 1574 and 1579.

Compositional Technique

A 1567 manuscript by Gorzanis, Intabulatura di liuto, is notable for containing a cycle of 12 passamezzo antico and 12 passamezzo moderno, each followed by a saltarello, composed in 'twelve keys' (on each semitone of the octave).