The Harp Canzonas by Stefano Landi in the Ms. Mus. 156 – Performance Practice and Reconstruction

With the kind participation of: Giorgia Zanin – lute; Giulio Falzone – theorbo; Lorenzo Pandiscia – organ

The manuscript Mus. 156 from the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Rome is an invaluable source on early 17th century instrumental music with harp. In fact, among the seventeen compositions, four ensemble works by Stefano Landi (1587–1639) address the harp. What is special about this source, is that polyphonic instruments such as the harp, lute, theorbo and organ are notated on one stave: a bass line with at times cues for the upper voices.

     The harp part-book of the Ms. Mus. 156 does not survive to our days. Perhaps this book was never finished, or it was lost. Two canzonas for harp, lute, theorbo and basso continuo seem complete, being the harp part contained in the basso continuo part-book; while two other works for harp, lute and basso continuo are incomplete. 

     Currently no reconstruction of these incomplete works exists, and they have not been further examined in other research on the manuscript. However, by analysing the complete works for bass instruments contained in the Ms. Mus. 156, it is possible to develop strategies for accurately reconstructing the missing parts.

     The first part of this intervention aims to raise new questions around the performance practice of the works for bass instruments in the Ms. Mus. 156. The second part focusses on the incomplete works, providing a possible reconstruction of the two Harp Canzonas.

Michela Amici is a harp player, researcher, and lecturer for Professional Preparation at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, where she was recently selected for a research project for the 2026/2027 Lectorate “Music, Education and Society”. Michela studied at the Conservatory G. Rossini of Pesaro, at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, and holds a Master in Architecture from the University of Bologna. Her work on Stefano Landi’s incomplete Harp Canzonas is based on the research for her current Master of Arts in Specialised Musical Performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, supervised by Markus Schwenkreis and Flora Papadopoulos.