18th Annual Student Research Conference
Fine Arts
16th-Century Understandings of "Ricercar" and "Fantasia"
Daniel J. Kubus♦
Dr. Jay Bulen, Faculty Mentor
Modern music historians, such as K. Marie Stolba, have described substantial differences between the 16th century fantasia and ricercar. However, an in-depth musical analysis of Andrea Gabrieli’s Fantasia allegra, Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Recercar Primo, and Francesco Canova da Milano’s Fantasia suggest that expectations for the forms overlapped to a large degree. A nuanced description is proposed that clarifies the differences between the forms while recognizing differences in usage of the terms by composers.
Keywords: ricercar, fantasia, improvisation, imitative texture, Gabrieli, Frescobaldi, Canova
Topic(s):Music
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 48-5
Location: OP 2210
Time: 4:45