Dalla Gostena is consideded one of the most important Italian composers of the second half of the XVI century. From 1584 – 1589 het was Maestro di capella at the San Lorenzo Cathedral of Genoa. His musical production includes canzonettas, madrigals, motets and 28 instrumental works (25 fantasias and 3 french chansons) printed in 1599 six years after his death by his nephew Simone Molinaro.

Dalla Gostena’s works collected in Genus Cromaticum album were published by Molinaro in his Intavolutura di Liuto. It was always considered that they were composed precisely for the lute and that the involvement of Molinaro was limited to the publication. Study and analysis of these pieces conversely reveal a conduct of the voices in a quite strict polyphonic style, rather unusual in the lute compositions of that time. It is important to point out that all lute virtuosos consider this music by Dalla Gostena technically arduous, difficult and sometimes unplayable. It is therefore clear that Molinaro had transcribed Dalla Gostena’s pieces from the original tablatute for keyboard to the lute one, just to insert them into his own book to pay tribute to his uncle.

Artist biography by Irene Ruvo