The Role of the Lute in Sixteenth-Century Consorts: Evidence from Terzi\u27s Intabulations

RILM abstract: In his Venetian lute books of 1593 and 1599, Giovanni Antonio Terzi did not define the frequently used terms contrappunto and concerto, which are assigned to ensemble-intabulation lute parts. An attempt to clarify their meanings helps determine intended functions within ensembles. It appears that Terzi\u27s ensemble intabulations were conceived in a purely instrumental context, and that the two distinct styles for lute are written manifestations of foundation and ornamental functions in ensembles, such as described by Agostino Agazzari (1607). Both in terms of the possibilities for instrumentation and the explicit examples of elaborating and foundation lute arrangements, Terzi\u27s ensemble intabulations provide useful blueprints for the modern performance of 16th-c. ensemble music