In the circles of early music lovers, documented information about performance practice is so important as to be obsessively searched for by musicians and musicologists. While iconography sometimes cannot be relied on as evidence because of it's symbolic meaning, a piece of information on the aesthetics of a performance, the making of an instrument, the composition of a group of instruments, or the repertoire performed is all the more valuable if it comes from a document, be it official or private, such as a letter. Considering that Isabella d'Este was a passionate lover of music and also a musician herself, it is easy to understand that the massive corpus of letters written and received by her can be an extraordinary mine of this type of information. Here the Anonima Frottolisti ensemble (TC490001, TC250001, TC400007) continues it's research in a deep introspection into the meanders of the music of Humanism, focusing on a repertoire drawn from the letters of the Marquise of Mantua Isabella d'Este, whose strong cultural and artistic sensibility deeply marked her time.
1 Lettera a Isabella D'este, Venezia (4 September 1503) [00:32]
2 Forsi Che Si Forsi Che No [02:52]
3 Se Mi Duol Esser Gabato [02:29]
4 Lettera a Isabella D'este, Modena (2 December 1510) [01:08]
5 Cantai Mentre Nel Core [02:56]
6 Non È Tempo D'aspectare [02:49]
7 Dulces Exuviae [03:12]
8 Lettera a Ercole I, Mantova (30 August 1490) [00:42]
9 Flos Virginum [01:47]
10 Les Biens - Des Biens D'amours [01:46]
11 [Senza Testo] [02:32]
12 Tan Que Dieu Voldrà [01:12]
13 Lettera a Sua Sorella Isabella D'este, Roma (20 October 1495) [00:34]
14 Morte! - Che Voy? [03:33]
15 Non Te Smarrir Cor Mio [03:24]
16 Lettera Ad Anna D'alençon, Mantova (24 November 1517) [00:40]
17 De Tus Biense [02:20]
18 Missa, "Fortuna Desperata" [01:18]
19 Adiu Mes Amours [03:12]
20 Lettera a Isabella D'este, Casali (14 January 1497) [01:29]
21 Lassa Donna I Dolci Sguardi [03:29]
22 Se Gran Festa Me Mostrasti [02:41]
23 Lettera a Sua Figlia Isabella D'este, Ferrara (25 October 1490) [00:43]
24 Mais Que Ce Fust Secretement [02:25]
25 Esmu Suy Que Plus Ne Porroie [02:18] 26. Una Mosque de Biscayo [02:28]
In the circles of early music lovers, documented information about performance practice is so important as to be obsessively searched for by musicians and musicologists. While iconography sometimes cannot be relied on as evidence because of it's symbolic meaning, a piece of information on the aesthetics of a performance, the making of an instrument, the composition of a group of instruments, or the repertoire performed is all the more valuable if it comes from a document, be it official or private, such as a letter. Considering that Isabella d'Este was a passionate lover of music and also a musician herself, it is easy to understand that the massive corpus of letters written and received by her can be an extraordinary mine of this type of information. Here the Anonima Frottolisti ensemble (TC490001, TC250001, TC400007) continues it's research in a deep introspection into the meanders of the music of Humanism, focusing on a repertoire drawn from the letters of the Marquise of Mantua Isabella d'Este, whose strong cultural and artistic sensibility deeply marked her time.
