(It.: ‘extravagance’, ‘fantastic eccentricity’).
A term for a piece in no specific form involving melodic, harmonic, rhythmic or other features of an extraordinary kind. It appears adjectivally by the end of the 16th century in works such as Giovanni de Macque's Consonanze stravaganti for organ (HAM, no.174) which exhibit harmonic mannerisms, similar to those employed by Gesualdo, that became part of the stylus phantasticus of the Baroque period. The word occasionally appears as a title in 17th- and 18th-century violin music: Carlo Farina's Capriccio stravagante (1627), a taxing virtuoso piece for violin and strings including the imitation of birds and animals, was extremely influential; and a Stravagance by the elder Matteis from the late 17th century is characterized by wide leaps across the strings. On the other hand, Vivaldi's set of concertos called La stravaganza (op.4) is more remarkable for its musical originality than for extravagant features of technique or musical style. Carlo Tessarini probably adopted the title from Vivaldi for his own op.4 of 1736–7. A cantata by Benedetto Marcello, Stravaganze d’amore (excerpt in C. Parrish, ed.: A Treasury of Early Music, New York, 1958, no.49), is a musical and textual satire on the genre as amusing as the same composer's Teatro alla moda. Roger North was highly critical of many features adopted in the genre (see J. Wilson, ed.: Roger North on Music, London, 1959, pp.129–31). Although it must be admitted that in pursuing novelty composers sometimes achieved effects that were merely awkwardly unconvincing, the value of these experiments in discovering new expressive resources was not altogether negligible.
MICHAEL TILMOUTH