Para acompañar con perfeccion. The art of accompaniment in Spain in the late 17th/early 18th century

Abstract

In Spain, the harp, having been one of the most favoured basso continuo instruments, was mentioned in many sources from the end of the 16th century until the second half of the 18th century. A large part of these, refer to the harp as an ideal instrument for accompaniment. Therefore, I will give an insight into the most important Spanish treatises dealing with harp accompaniment with a special focus on Diego Fernández de Huete's second volume of Compendio Numeroso… from 1704, and on the written out harp accompaniments of tonos humanos in the M/2478 preserved at the National Library of Madrid. My work also includes a practical outcome of this investigation: my own recreation of a harp accompaniments to selected pieces from Sebastián Durón's zarzuela Veneno es de amor la envidia from 1711.