Roncalli / Hofstotter Complete Guitar Music CD

The Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola by Count Ludovico Roncalli (1654-1713) is believed to be the last collection of music for the five-course baroque guitar published in Italy and one of the first collections of baroque guitar music to attract attention in modern times. It was the complete transcription in staff notation by distinguished Italian scholar Oscar Chilesotti that inspired Ottorino Respighi to include an orchestrated version of the Passacaglia in G minor in his Antiche danze ed arie per liuto in 1931. For this reason, Roncalli's music has always been popular with classical guitarists, but this wonderful recording allows it be heard on the kind of instrument in use at the time, and therefore to be appreciated fully. The guitar of Roncalli's day had five gut-strung courses, the first often single and the fourth and fifth either octave-strung or re-entrant (only the fourth course is octave-strung on this recording). The Capricci armonici comprises nine sonate (suites), one in each of eight tuoni (modes) and one in the tuono trasportato, following the classification system in use at the time. Roncalli has, however, arranged his sonate in order of key, rather than mode, pairing one in a major key with one in the relative minor, although those in A minor and C major are separated by the pair in F major and D minor. Each suite opens with a free-style preludio and then an expositional alemanda which is developed in additional 17th-century dance movements such as the corrente, sarabanda, giga, minuet and gavotte, providing an overall sense of thematic unity.

1. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 1 ottavo tuono in G Major 2. I. Preludio 3. II. Alemanda 4. III. Corrente 5. IV. Gigua 6. V. Sarabanda 7. VI. Gavotta 8. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 2 quarto tuono in E Minor (excerpts) 9. I. Preludio 10. II. Alemanda 11. III. Gigua 12. IV. Sarabanda 13. V. Gavotta 14. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 3 tuono transportato in B Minor 15. I. Preludio 16. II. Alemanda 17. III. Corrente 18. IV. Sarabanda 19. V. Minuet 20. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 4 in D Major 21. I. Preludio 22. II. Alemanda 23. III. Corrente 24. IV. Gigua 25. V. Sarabanda 26. VI. Minuetto 27. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 5 terzo tuono in A Minor 28. I. Preludio 29. II. Alemanda 30. III. Corrente 31. IV. Gigua 32. V. Sarabanda 33. VI. Passacaglii 34. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 6 in F Major 35. I. Preludio 36. II. Alemanda 37. III. Corrente 38. IV. Gigua 39. V. Sarabanda 40. VI. Minuet 41. VII. Gavotta 42. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 7 primo tuono in D Minor 43. I. Preludio 44. II. Alemanda 45. III. Gigua 46. IV. Minuet 47. V. Alamanda 48. VI. Corrente 49. VII. Sarabanda 50. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 8 quinto tuono in C Major 51. I. Preludio 52. II. Alemanda 53. III. Corrente 54. IV. Gigua 55. V. Minuet 56. VI. Gavotta 57. Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola: Baroque Guitar Sonata No. 9 in G Minor 58. I. Preludio 59. II. Alemanda 60. III. Corrente 61. IV. Minuet 62. V. Gavotta 63. VI. Passacaglii