1546—Brescia and Piacenza, Italy

A letter from Vincenzo Parabosco in Brescia to Alessandro Viustino in Piacenza, discussing recruitment of a musical ensemble, offers a glimpse into performance practice: “And I explained everything that Your Lordship wrote concerning how His Excellency our Lord Duke of Piacenza would like to know what kinds of instruments they play and how much they would want for their salary and how many persons make up their company. The first of them that was asked, messer Giovanni Pietro Rizetti, replied to me that they were six in number and that if they came to serve His Excellency they would serve him with these kinds of consorts [Concerti], I say excellently. First [a consort] of trumpets of all the kinds that can be played, then for actual music [a consort of] six trombones [tromboni], then [a consort] of six shawms, then [a consort] of six cornetts, then [a consort] of six crumhorns, then [a consort] of six recorders, then [a consort] of six German-style pipes, then [a consort] of six viole da braccio, then instead of naming other consorts, perhaps Your Excellency would enjoy more than all the others—because it is something unusual and so new that I believe that it will please you exceedingly—the union of those above said instruments, of one type or another, accompanied in various ways by vocal music. All of them are excellent at playing from music and in improvising upon the book of the cantor” (Hill, Emergence 358).