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Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710) was an influential figure in the musical life of Rome in the late 17th century along with his colleague Arcangelo Corelli. Pasquini’s opus spans sacred and dramatic vocal works, in addition to keyboard music, for which he was a celebrated virtuoso. Pasquini’s education was strongly influenced by the style of the Roman School that extended from Palestrina to Carissimi, but also by the keyboard works of Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643). Furthermore, as a pedagogue he wrote a series of keyboard works that are considered by some authors as precursors of the partimenti pedagogical system that would later develop in the Neapolitan Ospedali.

In this essay, I wish to draw attention to Pasquini’s Sessanta Versetti, which consist of brief imitative keyboard pieces that are estimated to have been composed near the end of the 17th century. I propose that beyond the written score and their practical use in churches, they represent models for fugal improvisation that can serve as a scaffolding for more complex forms. Considering the numerous examples and the brevity of the themes, it is possible to establish basic thematic prototypes. For this reason, William Renwick’s Schenkerian analysis of J.S. Bach’s fugal themes serves as an important reference. In addition, Paul Walker and Joel Lester’s study on the history of fugue, modality and tonality at the turn of the 18th century offers a window to analyze the modal nature of Pasquini’s thematic treatment which seems to combine elements of both the intervallic 16th century contrapuntal approach and the rising thoroughbass perspective. This study is part of a larger work that is related to fugal realization in the Langloz Manuscript. My general focus is to understand the basic elements necessary for fugal construction and how a pedagogical approach can be developed.

Miguel Quintero is currently an MA student in Music Theory at the University of Iowa. He concluded his undergraduate studies in choral conducting at the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela. As a choral conductor he collaborated with regional choirs based around Merida, Venezuela, further participating in local events and international events in Colombia and Mexico. His topics of interest go from film and music to historical pedagogical methods and keyboard improvisation. On a personal note, he loves to play soccer (aka the real football) and learn languages (currently Arabic).