Domenico Obizzi

[Bill Brettschneider]

Im looking for some pieces to play on the guitar with a baritone and a keyboard (baroque organ or harpsichord) and I stumbled upon a book of madrigals and arias by Domenico Obezzi. Im wondering if anyone is familiar with these, and can point me to any information on them. recordings would be fantastic. 

[Monica Hall]

My Italian is that marvellous but but I think the last three lines of each stanza are repeated twice, and the last line once.   This is the first verse.

Follisete Se credete.  Far tra quel dolce soggiorno .

Follisete Se credete.  Far tra quel dolce soggiorno  

Far tra quel dolce soggiorno  

So next

Son que stami I leggami. Da ben mille cori amarti

Son que stami I leggami. Da ben mille cori amarti

Da ben mille cori amarti

But maybe you have already got that far with it....

[Bill Brettschneider]

No I hadn't. I was thinking that maybe the line "Se crede....." pickup to measure 12, was tagged onto the end of each stanza, sort of like a ritournello, maybe?
Your solution seems much more plausible. Actually, now that I see it, I'm sure your right. Thank you very much, again.

[Monica Hall]

Well - that was an inspired guess!

[Bill Brettschneider]

I know there is nothing in the score to indicate that, but I figured it would at least produce a workable option musically. Textually, I have no idea.....

[Bill Brettschneider]

With all verses, and chord alignments.

I should probably re align the first verse. its sloppy. I think I will give it to my singer friend,and see if he has some suggestions as far as text alignment.

[Monica Hall]

The words often run together. e.g. it should be

Spin-seA-//mo-re

Si fiAr-//di-te

because of where  the stress falls.  But your singer is the best judge - singers often know more about these things than we humble guitarists.   This is an interesting discussion ...gut time consuming.

[Bill Brettschneider]

Im sorry to take so much of your time, and I am truly grateful for your help. Thanks very much indeed.

[Monica Hall]

Not at all - it's facinating.  Good luck with it...

[Bill Brettschneider]

I have another question. In the original score, and other scores from the same time, what does black versus white note heads signify. I don't think its rhythmic, but I really don't know.

[Monica Hall]

They used black notes when the music was syncopated.   The notes have exactly the same value as the same shaped white ones but e.g. at the end of Son caduti on p.42 you have a semibreve on the beat followd by a breve in both the voice and bass parts.  The emphasis is on the shorter note.    It is a sort of throw back to the kind of notation used in the 15th-16th centuries.   The early 17th century is very much a period of transition so you get the quirky things where the notation hadn't really developed sufficently to cope with fancy rhythms..  Transposing clefs are anoher of these things lingering on from the past.