16 Short Pieces in Ancient Style

This collection of sixteen short compositions by Andrea Vezzoli is the fruit of my request to the composer to write a series of pieces using different forms and techniques of early music composition (from Gregorian monody to the thirteenth century lauda, to the early polyphonic forms and medieval instrumental dance forms, to Ars nova, up to Flemish and Renaissance counterpoint).

The guitarist studying the history of music who comes across the description of these forms and techniques, obviously does not have original pieces for guitar which can be used as examples to play, and for this reason it seemed useful to have a collection of pieces like this to transform for the guitar some forms and compositional procedures which are so important in the history of Western music.

There is, therefore, in the pieces which follow, unquestionable didactic value, which however adds to an independent artistic interest, making them useful also in a concert situation, with an important “NB”: the Composer has not restricted himself here to writing in the early music style, but has composed pieces that have vitality, personality and sound, more or less,, as if written today.

It cannot be taken for granted to find in a contemporary composer an interest in tradition that is not marked by the desire (or simply the bitter realization) to break with it; and it is even less obvious, given the intention to connect in a sympathetic way to tradition, to have the ability to write music showing a strong connection with the past. It seems to me that Andrea Vezzoli has made a particularly remarkable attempt in this sense.

(Piero Bonaguri)