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Frescobaldi

Girolamo Frescobaldi
Dates
1583–1643
Era
Baroque (1600–1750)
Recognition
essential
Wikipedia

Where to start with Frescobaldi

Essential works to know this composer by — spread across their styles
  1. Keyboard
    Toccate e partite d'intavolatura di cimbalo, libro primo, A.2
  2. Chamber
    3 Canzonas, B.1
  3. Vocal
    A pie della gran croce, for soprano
  4. Keyboard
    Toccate e partite d'intavolatura di cimbalo, libro secondo, A.2
  5. Keyboard
    12 Capricci fatti sopra diversi soggetti et arie in partitura, Vol. 1
  6. Keyboard
    12 Fantasie a quattro, for instruments
  7. Keyboard
    37 Canzonas
  8. Vocal
    Angelus ad pastores, for 3 voices and continuo
  9. Chamber
    Aria de Baletto
  10. Keyboard
    Aria detta Balletto
  11. Keyboard
    Aria detta la Frescobalda
  12. Keyboard
    Aria e corrente
  13. Vocal
    Arie musicali per cantarsi, primo libro, for 1-3 voices and continuo, C.5
  14. Vocal
    Arie musicali per cantarsi, secondo libro, for 1-3 voices and continuo, C.5
  15. Vocal
    Aspice Domine, for soprano and harp

Listening guide

Hand-curated paths into Frescobaldi's catalogue
  1. Toccata No. 2 in G major (Toccate e partite Book 1)
  2. Fiori Musicali (liturgical keyboard)
  3. Capriccio sopra la Battaglia
  4. Ricercare after the Credo (Fiori Musicali)
  5. Toccata per l\’Elevazione

Most Acclaimed

  1. Fiori Musicali
    Bach copied this entire book by hand
  2. Toccate e Partite Book 1 (complete)
  3. Il primo libro di Capricci (1624)
  4. Canzoni da sonare (1628)
  5. Partite sopra l\’aria di Romanesca

Most Weird

  1. Toccata per l\’Elevazione
    meditative — played during the Elevation of the Host; suspended, timeless harmony
  2. Capriccio sopra il Cucu
    cuckoo calls embedded throughout — playful program music
  3. Canzone No. 4 from Il primo libro
    structural experiments with metric augmentation
  4. Capriccio di durezze
    harshnesses — chains of dissonance; extreme for its period
  5. Toccata No. 9 (Book 2)
    written on a ground bass — continuous ostinato

Similar composers

Same era, overlapping styles — by genre & period affinity

Works 122