# Diego Ortiz 1510 - 1570



## Taggart

Diego Ortiz (c. 1510 - c. 1570) was a Spanish composer and theorist in service to the Spanish viceroy of Naples and later to Philip II of Spain.

Diego Ortiz is important to history not only as a leading Spanish composer of the Renaissance era, but also as the author of Trattado di glosas, the first printed instruction book about ornamentation for bowed string orchestras. This was an international success, and was published in Italian. The book contains entirely written-out ornamentations designed to fit specific time periods. The player is directed to determine which was most appropriate, and to write it into his part at the right spot. Furthermore, the work contains studies for bass instruments, treble viol, and keyboard, as well as some madrigals. Like most authentic books on ornamentation and instruction of the period, it is a valuable source of information on performing style of the time.


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## Mandryka

I know you won't want to hear this, but I've never got on with the viol music, I find it boring. I've tried Savall and Modo antiquo, but I just can't hear that it's interesting music. Correct me if I'm wrong.


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## Ingélou

Mandryka said:


> I know you won't want to hear this, but I've never got on with the viol music, I find it boring. I've tried Savall and Modo antiquo, but I just can't hear that it's interesting music. *Correct me if I'm wrong.*


You can't be right or wrong on a matter of taste. :tiphat:


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## Ingélou

I love this one, especially the rhythm. It has *life*. I have an mp3 of it being played by my fiddle teacher, but this is the next best thing.


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## Mandryka

So who were his contemporaries writing for viol? Christopher Tye in England is the only one I can think of. I am very fond of Tye - did Ortiz write anything as good as Sit Fast? 

His instrumental music doesn't seem to be influenced by choral polyphony, nor does he sound anything like Attaingnant or Tallis to me.


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## Taggart

^^^ Hi - I started the Composer Guestbook on Ortiz because Ingelou & I noticed that there wasn't one. We don't know all there is to know about Ortiz, but we like what we have heard.

The idea of Composer Guestbooks is to have a place for people to find out about composers and post or sample links or videos. You and no doubt others may prefer other composers to Ortiz, but a better place for a discussion of relative merits would be the main forum or the Social Group Early Birds. As you have a lot of knowledge and interest, you would be very welcome to join.

By the way, there doesn't seem to be a Composer Guestbook on Christopher Tye. It would be great if you would like to start one. :tiphat:


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## Ingélou

This is pretty...


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## premont

Mandryka said:


> I know you won't want to hear this, but I've never got on with the viol music, I find it boring. I've tried Savall and Modo antiquo, but I just can't hear that it's interesting music. Correct me if I'm wrong.


Well, I do not find it boring, and I appreciate the paedagogical purpose of the music.

I have played a few of the pieces on my recorder, and it becomes rather entertaining music in this way. Maybe it is more music for playing than for listening.


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## Ingélou

^^^^ You may be right, premont, about it being entertaining music *to play*, primarily. I first came across Diego Ortiz in some of my early music Fiddle Books, and I do find them lovely. 

This is the one that I loved to play & I think I'll put it back in my practice book:


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