Castaldi: Capricci (1622), Part 1

The remarkable Capricci a due stromenti cioe tiorba e tiorbino e per sonar solo varie sorti di balli e fantasticarie (1622) is a stunning work of art, hand engraved by the composer, singer, theorbo virtuoso, poet, and artist Bellerofonte Castaldi (1580–1649). It unites Castaldi’s own allegorical poetry and resplendent visual artistry with highly refined, internationally sophisticated, and often virtuosic music for theorbo, including some of the very earliest single-movement sonatas and the only known duos for theorbo and tiorbino. Capricci’s six strophic dance songs with unfigured bass lines and tablature accompaniments provide an incomparable example of how a well-regarded singer and poet realized bass lines and approached the art of song accompaniment. No other lute publication contains such variety. This edition of Castaldi’s Capricci provides the original Italian tablature together with a transcription into mensural notation directly above it so that performers can consult both versions simultaneously.