Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 16 hours ago
In 1604, Cesare Negri published his "Nuove inventioni di balli" ("New Inventions of Dance"), a manual to teach young members of the court the art of courtly dance. It contained forty-three dance pieces written in Italian tablature, ten of which I have arranged for bass viola da gamba for this video. On the lute, I would play these pieces a little faster, but on the gamba I generally play them around 120 bpm.
The illustrations, designed by Giovanni Mauro della Rovere (1575–1640) and etched by Leone Palavicini (fl. 1590–1616), are taken directly from Negri's work.
The selections are as follows:
00:00 Il bianco fiore
01:26 La cortesia d'amore
03:43 Alemana d'amore
05:50 Sò ben mi hà bon tempo
08:05 Villanicco
08:48 Galeria d'amore
10:15 Lo spagnoletto
11:14 Bassa delle ninfe messa
12:28 Fedeltà d'amore
14:14 Pavaniglia alla Romana
If you enjoy this instrument, you might like to listen to my other recordings of bass viola da gamba. You will find a playlist here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg2GtsZ0EeLsljGKI85_p3A0jdibL7zoP.
In 1604, Cesare Negri published his "Nuove inventioni di balli" ("New Inventions of Dance"), a manual to teach young members of the court the art of courtly dance. It contained forty-three dance pieces written in Italian tablature, ten of which I have arranged for bass viola da gamba for this video. On the lute, I would play these pieces a little faster, but on the gamba I generally play them around 120 bpm.
The illustrations, designed by Giovanni Mauro della Rovere (1575–1640) and etched by Leone Palavicini (fl. 1590–1616), are taken directly from Negri's work.
The selections are as follows:
00:00 Il bianco fiore
01:26 La cortesia d'amore
03:43 Alemana d'amore
05:50 Sò ben mi hà bon tempo
08:05 Villanicco
08:48 Galeria d'amore
10:15 Lo spagnoletto
11:14 Bassa delle ninfe messa
12:28 Fedeltà d'amore
14:14 Pavaniglia alla Romana
If you enjoy this instrument, you might like to listen to my other recordings of bass viola da gamba. You will find a playlist here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg2GtsZ0EeLsljGKI85_p3A0jdibL7zoP.
