Recent Researches in the Music of the Baroque Era

The collection Sonate a 1, 2, 3 per il Violino, o Cornetto, Fagotto, Chiatrone, Violoncino o simile altro Istromento (Venice, 1641) contains 18 sonatas attributed to the Brescian composer and violinist Giovanni Battista Fontana (d. 1630?) and was apparently intended as a memorial to his career. Comprising six sonatas for solo violin or cornetto with continuo and 12 sonatas variosly scored from one to three violins or cornetti, concertante bass, and continuo, the print has long been regarded as a major source in the early history of the Italian solo and ensemble sonata, and the music ranks in importance with the sonatas of Biagio Marini and Dario Castello, the two composers whose work is most comparable to Fontana's. Although it is unlikely that these 18 pieces constitute his entire output, they may represent a generous sample, with works dating from the turn of the century to around 1630. Moreover, these pieces appear to span a wider stylistic range than do the sonatas in Opuses 1 and 8 of Marini and the two books of sonatas by Castello. 

Music Sample