ricercar

A polyphonic contrapuntal form for keyboard or ensemble prominent in the 16th and early 17th centuries, related to the fantasia but typically built on a single subject treated in systematic imitation. The word derives from ricercare (to search out), implying a disciplined investigation of contrapuntal possibilities. Frescobaldi's ricercars from 1615 represent the purest expression of this aesthetic: each is a single-subject work exploring augmentation, diminution, inversion, stretto, and other canonic devices with minimal ornamentation and strict voice-leading. They were admired as models of learned counterpoint well into the 18th century.

A Frescobaldi ricercar demands patient listening and deliberate pacing. The subject should always be audible above the accompanying voices — help it emerge by projecting the subject voice slightly and retreating on the countersubjects. Tempo should be steady and moderately slow, allowing the contrapuntal texture to speak. In the organ ricercars of Fiori musicali, registration matters: use a principal chorus (plenum) for the imitative sections; a softer registration for the moments of cadential arrival. These are austere works whose beauty is architectural rather than ornamental.