Chiaccona:
Music for Lute & Chitarrone

The origins of the chaconne as a dance melody can be traced to Latin America; Both humorous and obscene in style, the chaconne was accompanied by guitar and percussion. The terms łchacona˛ and łvida bona˛ (=good life) recur throughout the refrains of the majority of texts extant today. The dance rapidly spread throughout Spain and Italy. Alessandro Piccinini, a contemporary of Monteverdi and Frescobaldi, received lute instruction with his siblings from his father. In 1623, after a long period of preparation, he published his first work łIntavolatura di Liuto et di Chitarrone, libro primo˛. This book contained a detailed introduction with notes on playing technique, aspects of the instruments and various pieces for lute, which Axel Wolf has been chosen for this CD: toccatas, chiacconas, dances such as the gagliarde and corrente, or by sets of variations, on the romanesca and the alemana. For the continuo, Axel Wolf selected a chest organ with wooden pipes, a violone, guitar and percussion. The playing technique of the łchitarra spagnola˛ brings out the rhythmic element of each piece and can be heard today in the living tradition of flamenco guitarists.