Numbering Ganassi’s works

A note about page numbers

The Regola Rubertina (1542) is the only publication by Ganassi that originally includes page numbers (from I–L, 1–50). Except for the quire signatures, the 70-pages long Lettione seconda (1543) is unnumbered, and so is Fontegara (1535) with 158 pages,[^1] which makes it very difficult to reference a specific page or to quote a passage from them. However, page numbers can be easily added to a PDF file with the appropriate software, so I have made available a numbered version of his opere through imslp.org and archive.org to facilitate their distribution.

GFN

However, the numbering system presented here is not limited to page numbers, but rather aims to provide a tool to facilitate a quick and precise way to reference the contents of Fontegara. Below is an explanation of the numbering system applied to Fontegara, with links to the PDF files hosted at imslp.org and archive.org. This URL can also be reached and cited as prrll.com/gfn.

—VP, March 2018.

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Numbering Fontegara

A system for precisely locating items in Fontegara to facilitate research, analysis, and practical use of its contents.

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Introducing GFN: A catalogue number for Fontegara

GFN stands for Ganassi’s Fontegara Numbered

Computation of:

1. Persons, instruments and books in the frontispiece
2. Fingerings
3. Embellishments contained in the Regole
4. Other examples of embellishments

Total: 2855 items in 158 pages (leaving aside the 175 hand-written cadences contained in the Fontegara book preserved in Wolfenbüttel. See below for a proposal of nomenclature).

Numbering system:

• A simple system from 1–2855 (GFN 2855 is actually GFN 288b: see errata below), without making distinctions about their location in the book or type of content (exception: the three part-books in the woodcut, numbered b1–b3, which were an afterthought).
• Location: GFN numbers are normally located below the numbered item, except for a few cases in which this could result in problems of readability. In such cases, the GFN number appears on top of it: GFN 400, 899, 1274, 1277, 1318, 1367, 1376, 1634, 1680, 1682, 1719 [cont.], 1727 [cont.], 1851, 2147, 2148, 2150, 2153, and 2825.

GFN applied: localisation (GFN 1–2855)

1. Frontispiece:
   1.1. Instruments: viols GFN 1–3, lute GFN 4, recorders GFN 6–9, Futteral GFN 10, cornets GFN 11–12, p. 1
   1.2. Musicians: singer GFN 5, recorder players GFN 6–9, p. 1
2. Hexachord-based recorder fingerings: GFN 14–91, p. 4–7
3. Sette note di più: GFN 92–130, p. 8–9
   3.1. Recorder “B”: GFN 92–104, p. 8
   3.2. Recorder “A” (ornamental “A”, the trademark of the Schnitzer family): GFN 105–117, p. 9
   3.3. Recorder with single trefoil or clover mark (Rauch von Schrattenbach): GFN 118–130, p. 9
4. First diminution examples (essemplii del diminuir): GFN 131–138, p. 13–15. And two musical examples in chapter 13: GFN 139–140, p. 16
5. Regole (GFN 141–2826):
   5.1. Regola 1: GFN 141–1030, p. 18–57
   5.2. Regola 2: GFN 1031–1859, p. 58–97
   5.3. Regola 3: GFN 1860–2671, p. 98–137
   5.4. Regola 4: GFN 2672–2826, p. 138–149
6. Second diminution examples (Riporto dele regole): GFN 2827–2828, p. 151–152
7. Trills (Regola figvra[tiva]): GFN 2829–2854, p. 156

TOTAL: 2855 numbered items (please remember that GFN 2855 is actually GFN 288b: see errata below):

I have also added page numbers.

A proposal of nomenclature for the 175 handwritten cadences: c1–c175

Since the 175 handwritten cadences contained in the Fontegara book preserved at Wolfenbuttel (see sources) were numbered by Ganassi himself, there is, of course, no need to number them again. However, in order to facilitate their reference and distinguish them from the GFN numbers, I would propose to simply add a c letter in front of each number. Thus, we would have 175 cadences numbered c1–c175. Here is the first page of cadences (c1–c4) with my proposed nomenclature as an example:

Errata:

• GFN 288b: After finishing the numbering process I spotted an involuntary omission on page 22. I missed the short example after GFN 288, probably because the bar appears only half-barred, which escaped to my eye during the numbering process. Since manually moving forward the rest of the GFN numbers would be too much work, I have opted for numbering this item as GFN 288b and have corrected the statistics below accordingly.

In case somebody finds other mistakes, please let me know.

Some stats:

1. Embellishments in the Regole:

1. Regola I: 891 examples (GFN 141–1030 plus GFN 288b, p. 18–57)
   1.1. (98 motti + 793 atti)
2. Regola II: 829 examples (GFN 1031–1859, pp. 58–97)
   2.1. (98 motti + 731 atti)
3. Regola III: 811 examples (GFN 1860–2671, pp. 98–137)
   3.1. (98 motti + 713 atti)
4. Regola IV: 155 examples (GFN 2672–2826, pp. 138–149)
   4.1. (26 motti + 129 atti)

(motti = intervals; atti = diminutions)

Total:

• 2686 examples (motti + atti)
• Of which, 320 motti [intervals] + 2367 atti [diminutions])

2. Fingerings (Regola figurativa)

1. Closed holes example: 1 (GFN 13)
2. Hexachord-based recorder fingerings. Recorder “A”:
   2.1. 13 examples (natural) (GFN 14–26)
   2.2. 13 examples (1 flat) (GFN 27–39)
   2.3. 13 examples (2 flats) (GFN 40–52)
   2.4. 13 examples (1 sharp) (GFN 53–65)
   2.5. 13 examples (2 sharps) (GFN 66–78)
   2.6. 13 examples for altered notes (GFN 79–91). Total: 79
3. Seven extra notes:
   3.1. Recorder “B”: 13 examples (GFN 92–104)
   3.2. Recorder “A”: 13 examples (GFN 105–117)
   3.3. Recorder “trefoil”: 13 examples (GFN 118–130). Total: 39
4. Trills:
   4.1. Recorder “A”. 13 examples veloce plus 13 examples soave: 26 examples (GFN 2829–2854)

Total: 144 examples

3. Music examples

1. Embellishment examples on the hexachord (exempii del diminuir): 8 examples (GFN 131–138)
2. Riporto dele Regole: 2 examples (GFN 2827–2828)

Total: 10 examples

4. Miscellanea

• Persons: 5 (GFN 5–9)
• Instruments:
  • Viols: 3 (GFN 1–3)
  • Lute: 1 (GNF 4)
  • Recorders (woodcut): 4 (GNF 6–9)
  • Cornetts: 2 (GNF 11–12)
• Part books: 3 (GNF b1–b3)
• Futteral (case for recorders): 1 (GNF 10)

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Lettione Seconda with added page numbers

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Download PDF from IMSLP.org:

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Comments, suggestions?

Please let me know.

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[^1]: With two exceptions:
1) One of the available facsimile versions of Fontegara at IMSLP (the one uploaded by user “HIER.S”) was numbered by the uploader, but unfortunately contains a few mistakes that make it unreliable: pp. [22] and [23] = [21] and [22] (repeated pages); p. [42] = [43] (repeated); p. [43] is missing; pp. [106] and [107] = [104] and [105] (repeated).
2) The D-W copy of Fontegara has modern pencilled foliations from 1 (woodcut) to 79v, which continues from 81 (first manuscript page of the 175 divisions on a cadence) to 100 (last page).