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Non dò la colp'a te, S.122 (ballata a3)Genre: Other Secular Polyphony
Pr. Instrument: Voice
Scholars assume that this piece is from the latest stage of Landini's work because it follows the French example of song composition in many ways. This accords with the understanding of Landini's development, largely a question of an increasing French influence. Despite its lateness, however, and the use of three voices, it is not among the richest of Landini's songs. He seems very much to be composing the music around this new riddle of trying to give greatest importance to the top voice, and not entirely succeeding.
The result is that the superius is composed like a sweet topping for a fairly plain, two-layer contrapuntal cake. It moves in mostly syncopated rhythm over and against two quasi-"instrumental" lower parts that move in simpler rhythms, the lowest almost in straight quarter notes or half notes. Frequent rests in the superius emphasize its oddly ornamental position, and create a teasing sense of anticipation which is generally satisfied by repeated strong motions into the topmost vocal register, landing on the G above the staff. These are always highlighted with a leading tone, and as such give a sense of arrival without finality. Those moments become the ones we crave to hear most. Consequently, with the rest being comparatively uninteresting, they throw the experience unpleasantly off-kilter. Yet the superius is pretty enough in its way, and the whole song is set slightly higher in the vocal range than is normal in Landini, giving it special timbral luster very much worth hearing, even if only once.
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