Les Presses Du College Musical Caccini Giulio - Le Nuove Musiche

Summary of This Score

These two collections of Giulio Caccini's Nuove Musiche hold a prominent place in the history of vocal music, at a time when the forms and codes leading to opera were becoming defined. Bringing together madrigals and airs written over a period of about twenty years, the set demonstrates a remarkable diversity of moods and styles, ideal for understanding the evolution of a writing style focused on textual clarity and expressiveness. The lengthy preface of the first collection alone deserves attention: Caccini shares his own experiences and develops reflections on singing, composition, and aesthetics, supported by concrete examples that have become a reference in performance practice. In the pieces that follow, the composer fully embraces the modernity of his time by employing basso continuo, while choosing texts from major poets, both ancient and contemporary. Born in 1551 and deceased in 1618, Caccini was both singer and composer, directly participating in the birth of opera: in 1600, he published the music of his Euridice, the culmination of his research. In Florence, he remained in the service of the Medici until his death, after a stay at the court of Henry IV in 1604-1605. This edition of the two collections thus constitutes a valuable resource for performers and enthusiasts of vocal music wishing to work on a foundational repertoire centered on voice and basso continuo.

Technical specifications

Musical Genre

Classical

Publication

Sheet music

Composer

Giulio Caccini

Instrumentation

voice and basso continuo