Bettina Hoffmann
Catalogue of Solo and Chamber Music for Viola da Gamba
Ortiz, Diego
4 recercadas for viol solo (fol. 26v-30r)
6 recercadas on a canto llano (fol. 30v-35r)
8 recercadas on two polyphonic compositions: “O felici occhi miei” (fol. 34v-41r) and “Doulce memoire” (fol. 41v-47r)
9 recercadas on tenores (fol. 47v-61r)
in
Trattado de glosas sobre Clausulas y otros generos de puntos en la musica de Violones
Title of the Italian edition: El primo libro de Diego Ortiz Tolletano | Nel quale si tratta delle Glose sopra le cadenze & altre sorte de punti in la musica del Violone nuovamente posti in luce | De Diego Ortiz Toledano Libro secondo
Roma, Valerio and Luigi Dorico
Most of the recercadas are intended for a bass viol in D (even if the range of the recercadas on canto llano permit an alto-tenor viol as well), with the exception of the diminutions on the soprano part of the polyphonic compositions, probably intended for a treble viol.
The canto llano has been identified as La Spagna. The two polyphonic compositions are the madrigal “O felici occhi miei” by Jacques Arcadelt and the chanson “Doulce memoire” by Sandrin. For both compositions Ortiz wrote two diminutions on the bass part, one on the soprano part and one “que es quinta boz” (’witch is a fifth voice’). The tenores has been identified as Pass’e mezzo antico, Pass’e mezzo moderno, Romanesca, La follia, with two recercadas each; the last recercada bears the title Quinta pars.
Only the bass line of the canto llano is reproduced, inviting the harpsichordist to add consonances and some counterpoint (fol. 30r), thus describing in effect a basso continuo ante litteram. The tenores at the end of the book are proposed in a 4-parts realization (thus an obbligato accompaniment), with the exception of the Recercada ottava which has again a bass line only. For the accompaniment of the recercadas Ortiz suggests several times the cymbalo and once, in the lack of it, a simple bass line (fol. 47r); this may intend a second viol.
All these recercadas are found in the second book of the Trattado; the first book contains examples of diminutions on various cadences and intervals.
In the copy in I-Bc, only the fascicles A and G (the first of the first and of the second book) are in Italian, all the othhers in Spanish.
A/I: O 136/OO 136, ID 990047482
