Giovanni Paolo Cima (1570–1630) was an Italian composer, organist, and violinist active during the transition from the Renaissance to the early Baroque period. He served as the music director at the church of Santa Maria presso San Celso in Milan, where he played a significant role in shaping the musical life of the city. Cima was part of a generation of Northern Italian composers who began experimenting with the emerging stylistic innovations of the early 17th century, particularly in instrumental music.
One of his most important contributions is the collection Ricercari e canzoni alle francese, published in 1606. This work stands out as one of the earliest Italian publications to feature works for solo instruments with continuo, marking a significant development in the evolution of the Baroque sonata. The collection includes a variety of instrumental forms, notably ricercari and canzoni, which demonstrate his ability to merge contrapuntal techniques with expressive melodic writing.
The ricercari are reflective of the older Renaissance tradition, often built on imitative counterpoint and showcasing Cima’s command of structure and thematic development. In contrast, the canzoni are livelier and more sectional, pointing toward the emerging concertato style. These pieces often feature contrasting rhythms and clear melodic phrasing, suggesting the influence of vocal models on instrumental writing.
Cima’s music reflects both conservatism and innovation. While rooted in Renaissance polyphony, his Ricercari e canzoni anticipate the more dramatic and expressive instrumental music that would dominate the Baroque era. His work helped lay the groundwork for later composers like Dario Castello and Biagio Marini, contributing to the broader shift toward idiomatic instrumental composition and the increasing independence of instrumental genres in early 17th-century Italy.
Played by Federico Del Sordo organ and harpsichord (organ: the Meiarini organ (1630), Chiesa S. Maria del Carmine, Brescia, the harpsichord built by Francesco Marini after anon. Italian, early 17th-century. Federico Del Sordo is one of Italy’s foremost Early Music musicians and scholars, with an impressive discography to his name.
