The Folia Melodies - R.Hudson
The Folia Melodies - R.Hudson
The Folia Melodies - R.Hudson
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The history of the folia falls into two periods. The earlier foli
Salinas in 1577, originated in Portugal, became popular in Sp
ported into Italy around 1600 along with the Spanish guitar and
saraband, the passacaglia, and the ciaccona. Large numbers of suc
guitar books from the first half of the 17th century, and isolat
as late as 1664 in Italy, 1774 in Spain. The later folia, although
respects to the earlier one, has some different and distinct character
during the final quarter of the 17th century, particularly in Fr
enjoyed a wide popularity throughout the remainder of the Ba
appeared even in a few works of the 19th and 20th centuries. In add
a chordal scheme that influenced both folias. The scheme appea
sources at the end of the 15th century and became an integral p
dance style from 1500 to 1650. Both the later folia and the cho
been described fairly extensively in musicological literature.' Only re
has the earlier folia been examined in detail.2 In another article I hav
harmonic and rhythmic construction and its relation to the ch
would like now to consider particularly the melodic aspects of th
entities, commencing with the possibilities inherent in the chordal s
then investigating the manner in which melody is fashioned in
folias.
The chordal scheme is shown on the third staff of Ex. 1; below it are three
variant forms. In the Italian dance style (1500-1650) these chord progressions
join other schemes as central frameworks of composition. The music for a dance
or an instrumentally accompanied song (its created by distributing the chords of
one of the schemes at equal or unequal intervals throughout the piece, and then by
adding, as desired, melodic figuration or new chords that circle separate framework
chords. Since each of the schemes or chord-rows appears in a number of different
musical forms, I have found it useful to invent a terminology that is independent
of any particular one. Naming each according to the first chord that distinguishes
1 The principal works are the following: OTTO GomBosI, Folia, in: MGG 4, cols. 479-484; Italia, patria
del basso ostinato, in: La rassegna musicale 7 (1934), p. 14--25; Zur Friihgeschichte der Folia, in: AMI 8
(1936), p. 119-129; and The Cultural and Folkloristic Background of the Folia, in: Papers of the
American Musicological Society (1940), p. 88-95. JOHN WARD, The Vihuela de Mano and Its Music
(1536-1576) (Ph. D. diss., New York University 1953), p. 300-325; and The Folia, in: Kongressbericht
der IGMw, 5. Kongress, Utrecht, 1952 (Amsterdam 1953), p. 415-422. LAWRENCE H. MOE, Dance Music in
Printed Italian Lute Tablatures from 1507 to 1611 (Ph. D. diss., Harvard University 1956), p. 121-128,
164-169; and Folia, in: Harvard Dictionary of Music, ed. WILLI APEL (2nd. ed. Cambridge, Mass. 1969),
p. 322-323. ANDREAS MOSER, Zur Genesis der Folies d'Espagne, in: AfMw I (1918-1919), p. 358-371;
PAUL NETTL, Zwei spanische Ostinatothemen, in: ZfMw I (1918-1919), p. 694-698; JEFFREY PULVER,
Folies d'Espagne, in: The Monthly Musical Record 50 (1920), p. 32-33 and 103-104; FREDERICK NIECKS,
Les Folies d'Espagne: A Study, in: The Musical Times 29 (1888), p. 717-721.
2 HELGA SPOHR, Studien zur italienischen Tanzkomposition um 1600 (Ph. D. diss., Albert-Ludwigs-
Universitit, Freiburg i. B. 1956), p. 56-68.
3 The Folia Dance and the Folia Formula in 17th Century Guitar Music, in: MD 25 (1971), p. 199-221
3 2 3 5 4 3 2 3
1 1
Tone-series 7
1 1 2 3 2 1 7 1
Chord-row V
Without III
i V i VII VII i V i
V i VII VII i V i
Throughout the middle two quarters of the 16th century, ,emphasis shifts to Tone-
6 Almost the same tone-series that I show on the upper staff of Ex. 1 is given by Ward (his disserta-
tion, p. 301) in company with the complete version of the chord-row.
7 I located most of the 15th and 16th century Scheme V compositions referred to in this paragraph
through the writings of Gombosi, Ward, and Moe mentioned in footnote 1; to their sources I have
added a few others. A modern edition of the Cancionero musical de Palacio is printed in Monumentos
de la mzfsica espaiiola, Vols. V and X, ed. HIGINIO ANGLES (Barcelona 1947-1951). Tone-series 4 appears
in the upper voice of the following pieces based on the complete chordal scheme: Nos. 12, 81, 121, 126,
179, 271, and 361; for the chord-row without the III chord, see Nos. 59 and 197; without the initial i
chord, Nos. 79 and 310. Two exceptions that employ Series 7 are Nos. 9 and 92.
8 BARTOLOMEO TROMBONCINO, Aqua non e I humor che versan gli occhi (1514), in: ALFRED EINSTEIN, The
Italian Madrigal (Princeton 1949) III, p. 318-319; and Gli a pur from Frottole libro quarto (Venice
1520), in: Madrigals of the 16th and 17th Centuries, copied by Dr. Alfred Einstein (Northampton, Smith
College Library) 84; GIACOMO FOGLIANO, La non vuol esser pi' mia (1515), in: EDITH GERSON-KIwI,
Studien zur Geschichte des italienischen Liedmadrigals im XVI. Jahrhundert (Wiirzburg 1938), p. 21.
All'uso Milano
III VI I II V I
i 1V
measure 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9
i V i VII i V
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
i VII i V I
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
i V i VII i
I (II) I (III) I
(IV)
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
V (i V i VII i V
I (III) I
11. 112. I
16 Ritornello
i iv V i
I IV I
20 This
guitar f
27, cop
On the top staff of Ex. 2, over the basic harmonic framework of the earlier folia,
I have set a melody from Francisco Salinas' De musica libri septem (Salamanca
1577). Salinas gives two melodies that illustrate a particular metrical scheme. 23 He
seems to make no mention of the first melody in his text, but describes the second
Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (complete). A rasgueado guitar folia from LODOvIco DEL MONTE'S Vago
fior di virtit (Venice, no date) is transcribed by OSCAR CHILESOTTI in: Notes sur les tablatures de luth
et de guitare, in: LAVIGNAC and DE LA LAURENCIE, Encyclopedie de la musique (Paris 1913-1931) Part 1/2,
p. 677. On p. 676 appears a facsimile of the page containing this and two other Folias alla vera spagnola.
21 The word ritornello or ripresa is not used in the Italian dance style with precisely the same meaning
it had with Monteverdi and other monodists. See my article The Ripresa, the Ritornello, and the
Passacaglia, in: JAMS 24 (1971), p. 364-394.
22 For a more detailed description of chordal variation and its relationship to the musical organization
of this music, see my article, Chordal Aspects of the Italian Dance Style 1500-1650, in: Journal of the
Lute Society of America 3 (1970), p. 35-52.
p3 p. 308-309. Facs. ed. (Kassel 1958).
as an example of a popular ty
however, the second melody m
whereas the first fits the ear
framework is shown in Ex. 2, i
the opening i chord or by ext
two changes, the framework
with Ex. 1 shows that the melo
There are a number of text
Spanish texts are printed in
1626).26 Several Spanish and It
by guitar chord letters, in It
17th century.27 Most of these
manner shown in Ex. 4. Ex. 4
u W A ? V ,
UV V , V/ U .. v. v (U)
comparison with his melody on the top staff of Ex. 2 shows that the musical struc-
ture accommodates two such lines. The other folia texts, however, follow the metrical
plan of Ex. 4b. Here one trochaic foot is usually added at the beginning, to be sung
24 "...quas Lusitani, Follias, vocant..." The Latin scholar whom I consulted concerning this passage
concluded that the statement about the folia refers to the second melody, and that nowhere in the text
is the other melody specifically mentioned. J. B. TREND, in his article on the folia in Grove's Dictionary
of Music and Musicians (5th ed. London 1954) 3, p. 182, states that "the earliest tune described as
being that of the folia is found in [the work of] Salinas..., who gives two versions." Trend's transcrip-
tion of the first melody should show the E's flatted. Salinas actually begins the melody on B, and the C
is not sharped.
25 This melody, along with several others that are given by Salinas at various spots in his book, is
included by WARD in his article Romanesca, in MGG 11 (1963), col. 778.
26 Fols. 8-11 (copy in Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale). Other Spanish texts are given by EMILIO COTARELO
Y MoRI in: Colecci6n de entremeses I (Nueva Biblioteca de Autores Espafioles 17 [Madrid 1911]),
p. ccxlv-ccxlvi.
27 Florence, Biblioteca Riccardiana, Ms. 2793, fols. 37v-38; Ms. 2951, fols. 129v-130v, 153-154v, and
165v-166v; Ms. 2973 (III), fol. 29. See also Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Magl. XIX. 143,
fol. 54.
I LI I I .'
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
+ t
i V I VII i V
Un ch'a- do
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
I VII i iv I
S.,-,
do F " .. .
22" I .I I I I , 1 I ! I I I! b .
~~~J. , .
27a The metrical scheme of Ex. 4b appears also in some folia texts from the first half of the 16th century.
See GIL VICENTE's Auto da Sibila Cassandra [15037], in: Gil Vicente, Obras completas, ed. MARQUES
BRAGA (Lisbon 1942-1944), I, p. 62; O velho da horta, 1512 (V,175); Templo d'Apolo, 1526 (IV, 188); and
Triunfo do inverno, 1529 (IV, 327 and 330). A somewhat different scheme appears in his Auto da feira,
1527 or 1528 (I, 245). In the Recopilaci6n en metro (Seville 1554) of DIEGO SkNCHEZ DE BADAJOZ, folias
using the scheme of Ex. 4b occur in Farsa militar (fol. LXXXv) and Farsa del juego de Cailas (fols.
CXLI-CXLII); facs. ed. La Academia Espafiola (Madrid 1929); modern ed. D. V. BARRANTES (Libros de
Antafio, XII [Madrid 1882-1886]) I, p. 409-410 and II, p. 273-278. Since neither author provides
music for his texts, it is not certain how they fit into the musical history that begins in 1577 with
Salinas.
28 According to NIGEL FORTUNE, A Handlist of Printed Italian Secular Monody Books, in: Royal Mu
Association Research Chronicle 3 (1963), p. 38-39, this work was first published in 1619, alth
no copy now exists of the earlier edition.
I" I~
(~::F:F dov-
1 r -I r-19r~
fifth or sixth measure, even though the III chord is not present
punteado guitar example from a Spanish manuscript of 1705 (Ex. 6a
characteristics, although here the first V chord, as in the guitar examp
staff of Ex. 2, does not extend beyond measure 2.
Exx. 3 through 6a suggest, therefore, the extent to which the sim
of Ex. 2 can be varied in individual pieces. Compared to the chordal guit
compositions which include a melody are relatively few in number.
consist of a single statement of the structure and thus constitute, like
guitar pieces, an aria for singing or dancing; or they may presen
statements in a set of ;instrumental variations. Folia pieces that display
in a single statement occur in a lute manuscript of Rasponi (1635
Sonate di chitarra spagnola (Florence 1640) of Antonio Carbonchi.30
tions whose opening statement clearly exhibits Tone-series 4 appear
Piccinini's Intavolatura di liuto e di chitarrone, Libro primo (Bolo
II primo libro di canzone (Naples 1650) of Andrea Falconiero (for t
basso continuo),32 and in Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional, Ms. M. 1359.3
Feuillet (1700).
Lambranzi (1716).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1
i V i VII i V i V
I I (III) I I (II
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
57 SEBASTIAN DE COVARRUBIAS HO
castellana o espafiola (Madrid 161
parecen estar los unos y los otros
palabra toscana f o 1 e, que vale va
in his Kongressbericht article, p.
dancers] all seem to be out of their
Tuscan tongue, namely folle, whic
Much of the noise was produced by
of Covarrubias' work, with the addi
5s A facsimile of the page from Rec
Scheme V I
1 I I 1
1500 1600 1700 1800
65 Instrucci6n de maisica, L
66 This is illustrated clearly
Bologna, Civico Museo Bibl
chord (and hence Scheme V
versions of the moresca, b
He also has four pieces en
of Scheme V without its initial i chord. Also in the book are four additional moresche based on
Scheme III, showing that pieces bearing this title were not confined to a single scheme; see my article in:
AMI 42 (1970), p. 169, where I refer to the moresca based on Scheme III. Although the Scheme V pieces
of Costanzo employ almost the same chord progression, each form displays a rhythmic structure
different from the others. As far as I know, only one form, the alta regina, is identical structurally as
well as harmonically to one possible variant of the folia (when the initial I is missing and the other I
chords are major triads). Of the three examples of this form cited in footnote 17, Bologna Q 34 most
clearly shows the similarity; see the excerpt in: Rivista musicale italiana 4 (1897), p. 616.