Il Giardino di Giulio Caccini (The Garden of Giulio Caccini)

« They tell me they have never heard, up until now, music for one voice alone, accompanied by a simple stringed instrument, which has such great power to move the passions of the soul. »
                      Giulio Caccini, Le Nuove Musiche, 1602

Giulio Caccini was above all a great singer. All his life, he sought to perfect his art so that it would respond to his vision of the ideal Renaissance man. A song had to touch men’s hearts directly, causing them to experience their passions with total commitment. To succeed in doing this, Caccini didn’t hesitate to destroy the whole edifice of Medieval counterpoint that no one before him had dared to touch. This truly revolutionary change had meteoric consequences and an enormous influence in Europe.

Caccini loved to sing alone, accompanying himself on the chitarrone, an instrument especially invented for this use at the end of the 16th century. This manner of performance was the only way, according to him, which allowed the singer to free himself from all rhythmic and contrapuntal constraints in order to attain total liberty of expression. In this art of singing with the chitarrone, the music is nothing more than an extension of discourse, gifted with the same suppleness and strength of persuasion.