The ‘stylised’ dance in Italian sonatas of the late Baroque

Abstract

The variability of character of the dance movements in Italian sonatas of the late Baroque is conventionally ascribed to their “stylization” or “idealization”, but the coexistence of very similar movements both with and without dance titles within this repertory, exemplified by sonatas of Albinoni and Vivaldi, suggests that these titles also serve as “paratexts” as defined by the literary theorist Gérard Genette: verbal supplements that guide the reader towards better appreciation of the artwork.