Music for Viola Bastarda

The term "viola bastarda" refers to both an instrument and a style ofplaying that is one of the crowning achievements of musical mannerism. The Italianrepertory for the solo viola da gamba in the 16th and early 17th centuries waslargely music played "alla bastarda," an art of performance in which a polyphoniccomposition is transformed into a single melodic line derived from the originalparts and spanning their ranges. Jason Paras has traced thedevelopment of the "viola bastarda" and has assembled and transcribed 46 peices inthis genre. The music in his collection is a rich and fascinating repertory that israrely heard today. This anthology is an invitation to present-day players torecreate the improvisation practice of the 16th and 17th centuries in ways not fullydisclosed by ornamentation manuals of that time.