Alessandra Ignesti

Research area: Theory of Counterpoint and Music Pedagogy in 14^th- and 15^th-Century Italian treatises

My research aims at a comprehensive survey of the extensive repertory of Italian fourteenth- and fifteenth-century treatises on counterpoint and music pedagogy. Starting from the mostly anonymous documentation about the method called regola del grado, I will survey the evolution of counterpoint teaching, tracking the mutual influence between learned tradition of scholarly treatises and practical teaching manuals. The second part of my dissertation will discuss practical aspects of composition and, in particular, how theorists and performers dealt with the issues of modal integrity inevitably raised by the addition of a contrapuntal line to a pre-existing melody.