Adam Holzman plays Capriccio “Il Gran Monarca” by Pietro Paolo Melli (1575-1620) at the Boston GuitarFest 2011. Holzman is famous for his excellent teaching and high level students but his playing is equally wonderful. I know very little about Melli, however, the music is charming. The texture is less barebones and has a bit more in the way of flourishes and harmonic textures than say Francesco da Milano down in Milan. I found this via allmusic by Keith Johnson:
Pietro Melli composed for the instrument which he played, the lute. He was a member of the imperial court orchestra in Vienna in the year 1612. Melli served the court of the Emperor Matthias and was also retained by Ferdinand II, 1619. Salary registers indicate that Melli was an highly esteemed musician and his compositions were similar in texture and form to those of Monteverdi.
