Lux Terrae Baroque Ensemble - In stile passeggiato - The Art of Diminution (2026)

Diminution, or the substitution of a large musical value with an equivalent quantity of smaller values, is a practice that can be traced back to numerous treatises of the 16th and 17th centuries. These treatises teach this technique through the presentation of numerous diminished passages and examples of entire musical pieces. The treatise by Christoph Bernhard (1628-1692) is one of the most valuable sources for understanding the art of diminution in 17th-century Italy. He writes “The manner of singing passeggiato or alla Lombarda is a manner in which one does not remain on the notes that are encountered, but rather changes them with diminutions or coloraturas. (…) Diminution is when a note, in the correct respect of the beat, is divided; that is, a note that is worth half a beat is divided into four fuse, 8 semifuse, or 16 subsemifuse, without remaining fixed on the note but in an elegant manner running over it.” This recording aims to be a tribute to this artistic technique, which marks an important step in the development of instrumental music for the violin and a testing ground for composers to experiment with new writing techniques.

Tracklist
01. Non so se quel sorriso - in stile passeggiato
02. Sonata Prima
03. Il bianco e dolce cigno - in stile passeggiato
04. Toccata per spinettina e violino
05. O dolce eterno amore - in stile passeggiato
06. Sonata nona
07. La Porzia
08. Ancidetemi pur - in stile passeggiato
09. Sonata No. 5 La Stella
10. Scapulis suis - in stile passeggiato
11. Sonata Prima
12. Alza doglioso - in stile passeggiato
13. Sonata, Op. 5 No. 4: I. Adagio
14. Sonata, Op. 5 No. 4: II. Allegro
15. Sonata, Op. 5 No. 4: III. Vivace
16. Sonata, Op. 5 No. 4: IV. Adagio