These two canzoni da sonare come from Banchieri's Canzoni alla Francese a quattro voci per sonare... Libro Secondo, published in Venice in 1597. Banchieri's collection consists of 11 four-part canzoni (one of which is actually by Gioseffo Guami), an 8-part Battaglia, and an 8-part Magnificat based on Giovanni Gabrieli's Lieto godea.
L' Alcenagina is one of many pieces based on Palestrina s famous madrigal Vestiva i colli. There are several arrangements from the diminution books including ones by Girolamo Dalla Casa, Giovanni Bassano, Aurelio Virgiliano, Francesco Rogniono and Bartolomeo Selma e Salaverde. Giovanni Francesco Anerio included a galliard based on the madrigal in his Gagliarde A Quatro Voci.
Both pieces are printed at a rather high pitch in the original, suitable for violin consorts and cornetts. In this edition we have transposed the pieces down to a pitch more suitable for recorders, viols, curtals, etc.: La Feliciana down a fourth, L Alcenagina down a fifth. A version at the original pitch is available as EML247a.
The original note values are retained throughout. Editorial accidentals art, printed small above the stave, applying to the one note only.