Johann Jacob Froberger

This is the second of the six canzonas in Froberger's Libro secondo of 1649. Froberger's canzonas are sectional imitative contrapuntal works with a fairly rythmically active subject. Each of his canzonas focus around a single theme which often appears in different rhythmic variations in each section. All six of his canzonas are in three sections. While the canzona genre is often the most light hearted of all of the imitative genres of the 17th century, this is the most severe sounding and thereby the nost fantasia like of Froberger's canzonas. Part of the serious nature of this canzona comes from the chromaticism in its theme. Also Froberger employs fairly advanced counterpoint in this canzona, with stretti appearing in all three sections of the canzona. In the last section of the canzona, Froberger augments the rhythmic values of the theme placing it against a faster moving counter-theme, a manipulation of the theme far more common his fantasias than in his canzonas.