Bolognese Instrumental Music, 1660-1710

This book, the first of its kind, is a study of Bolognese instrumental music from the height of the city's musical activity in the late seventeenth century. The period, marked by the rapid expansion of the cappella musicale of the principal city church, San Petronio, the foundation of the Accademia Filarmonica, and, generally, the frequent and lavish displays of musical patronage, witnessed the proliferation of music for instrumental ensembles. This music - courtly dances, 'abstract' sonatas, and the emerging concerto - not only shows a crucial stage in the development of the main genres of ensemble music during the Baroque era, but also figured prominently in Bologna as part of elaborate church rituals, and opulent public and private celebrations. The late seventeenth century also witnessed the heyday of Bolognese music publishing, whose success was due in large part to the abundance of instrumental pieces that were marketable for devotional, diversional, and even pedagogical uses.The approach taken here is meant to go beyond previous life-and-works studies of individual composers and surveys of individual genres in order to provide insights on a new array of engaging topics: the social condition of instrumentalist-composers; the enterprises of music publishers in the emergence of the Bolognese repertory; the diversity of contexts that lies behind the eclecticism of the courtly dances; liturgical function and its impact on musical style; tonal style in an apparently 'pre-tonal' and 'post-modal' repertory; and the Bolognese 'concerto' before the concerto in practical experiments with scoring and virtuoso improvisation. In sum, this book not only illustrates the historically significant and defining features of the music, but also links the Bolognese repertory to the fascinating musical culture in which it was created.