Alfred Einstein assumed continuities between frottola and madrigal, though more recent scholarship has refuted these continuities: these were two different genres, cultivated in different centers of patronage, by different composers, and for different audiences. Michele Pesenti (ca. 1470–1528), however, composed in both genres thanks to different professional circumstances. He composed frottole while in Ferrarese employ, and later, when he secured an appointment at the court of Pope Leo X, he (or someone acting for him) refashioned several of his frottole as madrigals: textless lower instrumental lines are provided with text, converting a composition for a vocalist with instrumental accompaniment into one for an ensemble of four vocalists.
This pioneering edition of Pesenti's complete works offers parallel editions of compositions existing in both these forms, as well as compositions for solo voice and instrumental consort that were later arranged for voice and lute. It further seeks to clarify the procedures used in expanding the abbreviated presentation of the frottola’s text and music into readily performable form. The editorial team includes a musicologist, a linguist, and a musicologist-performer.
- ISBN: 9781987201390 (1987201396)
