Transition between Mode and Tonality in the Seventeenth Century in Cartella Musicale by Adriano Banchieri

Abstract

This article discusses two treatises by Adriano Banchieri: L’organo suonarino and Cartella musicale. A monk of the Olivetan branch of the Benedictine Order, Banchieri was known for his intellectual versatility, demonstrated through his work as a writer, composer, organist, and music theorist. His treatises serve as both theoretical and practical references for understanding the conditions of the transition from modality to tonality at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The aim of this article is to highlight and assess some of the key aspects of Banchieri’s contribution to the comprehension of this complex transitional process. One of the essential features of this process in Italy is the configuration of the tuoni system. Banchieri’s central strategy in this context was to adapt the psalm tones to the keyboard, to incorporate the traditional transpositions used in this practice, and above all, to associate each tuono with its corresponding cadences in order to guide liturgical work on the organ. The article adopts a methodological approach that compares the theoretical concepts presented in these two treatises with the practical examples contained therein, composed by the Bolognese musician himself. This strategy involves a recovery of the medieval–Renaissance tradition, which is necessary to understand the terminology used by Banchieri and to emphasize his real contribution to the modal/tonal transition of which he was a participant. It can be concluded that, by addressing his two treatises to practical musicians (especially professional organists of his time and region), Banchieri promoted a body of theories that clarifies the role of modal transpositions in the establishment of a tonal framework.