Album: Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini, 1600 (Naïve)

The cusp of the 17th century was a pivotal moment in music history.

Instrumental music became popular, with the development of new forms: this was the birth of the sonata, the concerto, and the string quartet, the latter reflected here in Concerto Italiano's core of two violins, viola and continuo, augmented with theorbo, harpsichord and organ. This collection focuses largely on works by lesser-known composers such as Zanetti, Merula and Salvatore, but includes two standout works in the "Fantaisie" attributed to Luigi Rossi, and Frescobaldi's "Canzoni da Sonare", the composer's first significant break with strict counterpoint.

DOWNLOAD THIS Fantaisie; Canzoni da Sonare