La bella più bella: Songs from Early Baroque Italy

Featuring

Roberta Invernizzi
Craig Marchitelli
Giulio Romano
Benedetto Ferrari
Alessandro Piccinini
Giulio Caccini

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger
Luigi Rossi
Giacomo Carissimi
Barbara Strozzi
Bellerofonte Castaldi
Tarquinio Merula
Sigismondo d'India
Claudio Monteverdi

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Album & Artwork

The album's artwork and design were created by rosacasirojo.com, and photographs of the performers were taken by RibaltaLuce Studio.

Historical Context

The period around the turn of the 17th century saw a major upheaval in music, leading to the birth of opera (dramma per musica) and a shift from polyphonic to more vertical musical structures.

Compositional Technique

The 'basso ostinato' was a typical compositional technique of the time, where a short melodic cell in the continuo repeats, while the vocal line moves freely above it.

Compositional Technique

Kapsberger's Ninna nanna (no. 19) is one of the first printed examples of a lullaby in Italy, built around a delicate 16th-century villanella text.

Compositional Technique

The toccata, a generally brief and discursive musical form, originated from improvisation and typically featured virtuosic arpeggio passages to showcase the performer's skill.

Composer's Artistic Vision

During this era, music aimed to stir emotions, drawing directly from ancient Greek musical theory and identifying six 'primitive' passions: love, hatred, wonder, desire, joy, and sadness.