Ortiz: Recercadas

Ortiz: Trattado de Glosas
Les Basses Réunies - Bruno Cocset
Alpha 563

Although this list doesn't address sixteenth century instrumental music very broadly, there are still a handful of items that stand out, including outside of the voluminous (& more "fully" polyphonic) Elizabethan consort repertory. Ortiz & his famous treatise continue to be such an item for me, illustrating a variety of contrapuntal principles particularly via melodic diminution. It's a "how to" set, and continues to be exemplary all these years later, as well as being enjoyable music with a surprising dose of imagination for such a didactic project....

In some ways, this performance is here because it's the most recent & has the best sound — but also the best instrumental technique, etc. They make the whole thing come off easily, and remain lyrical throughout. (Perhaps sounding easy was not really the intent, but....) It's impressive & immediately enjoyable as well. One might even call it sonically rich.

In this, the music does usually take the form of solo plus accompaniment, and so hails later styles, perhaps more so than much of this list.... However, it remains stimulating.

To instrumental list.

Todd M. McComb
Updated: 20 April 2020