The Guitar and the Early-Seventeenth-Century Canzonetta

Musicologists and performers have long neglected the song repertoire with alfabeto, although it was certainly not unknown that a great number of collections from the first half of the seventeenth century were published in this way. Only recently have serious attempts been made to arrive at a reconstruction, taking into account the historical position of the guitar in this repertoire. The chord alphabet of the guitar seemed an inferior alternative to the “real” basso continuo of the harpsichord. It has even been assumed that the addition of alfabeto was primarily a commercial ploy by printers such as the Venetian Alessandro Vincenti.

Beginning in the 1980s, the lute (or often, the theorbo) was increasingly used in historically informed performance practice; the guitar, however, was not at that time deemed a serious continuo instrument. Many still assume that the songs with added alfabeto are ideally performed with theorbo or harpsichord. The guitar, it is suggested, could easily serve as an alternative, but it should be supported by at least one bass instrument. James Tyler remarks about alfabeto practice: “Certainly, its tunings often prevent it from sounding the true bass note; however, an idiomatic continuo accompaniment for guitar can be stunningly effective when combined with a lute or theorbo playing the true bass line.” Nevertheless, there are reasons to suppose that the guitar was used as an independent instrument for accompaniment in many situations. In “The ‘Chitarra Spagnola’ and Italian Monody 1589 to circa 1650,” Nina Treadwell gives an overview of the different genres where the guitar provided an accompaniment—often light, strophic arias like villanelle, canzonette, and ariette. There were also composers, however, who included alfabeto in their more dramatic works—through-composed arias or solo madrigals. Songs with alfabeto were published by such renowned composers as Sigismondo d'India, Stefano Landi, Girolamo Kapsberger, Biagio Marini, and Martino Pesenti. In her article “Remigio Romano's Collections of Lyrics for Music,” Silke Leopold remarks:

The more complicated the setting, the more difficult the ornament, then the smaller was the chance that a composition would appeal to even a mediumsized audience.