Amsterdam, October 24, 2019
On María González and Vicente Parrilla performed at Open Recorder Days Amsterdam in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ganassi’s Parnassus
Instrumental diminution in Sylvestro Ganassi’s Venice
As it is well known, Ganassi’s treatise Fontegara (1535), despite being the biggest known repository of embellishing formulas from the Renaissance, is devoid of actual musical pieces. This fact poses two main questions for today’s performers: we can’t know for sure the exact repertory he may have applied his diminutions to. At the same time, the lack of embellished pieces by the author deprives us of models that we could take as examples when trying to embellish new pieces. However, a close exam of his published works gives numerous hints in both directions. This programme explores the possibility to bring back to life the myriad of melodic formulas (known as divisions or diminutions) contained in Ganassi’s 1535 publication.
Vicente Parrilla, recorder
María González, organ