for stanzas written in ottava rima (the preferred metre for epic poetry). Italian songbooks from the early 17th century include romanescas, set in the "new monodic style," for one or two voices by composers such as Giulio Caccini (1614), Francesca Caccini (1618), Filippo Vitali (1618,1622), Monteverdi (1619), Stefano Landi (1620), Frescobaldi (1630), and more. The title of many of these pieces is aria di romanesca, though the romanesca tune is not actually found in all of them. For years, there has been scholarly debate over whether the aria di romanesca was an ostinato bass or a descant tune. There exists a difference between romanescas found in the 16th versus 17th centuries. 16th-century romanescas often display clear, ternary rhythm, while those found in the 17th century seem to be notated in duple metre (though there remains some rhythmic ambuiguity in these compositions). Theory and examples A romanesca is composed of a sequence of four chords with a simple, repeating bass, which provide the groundwork for variations and improvisation. The traditional bass is thought to represent the standard accompaniment that developed with the tune over the years. The romanesca is usually in triple meter and its soprano formula (melody) resembles that of the passamezzo antico but a third higher. The harmonic bass pattern of the romanesca is: III—VII—i—V—III—VII—i-V—i (The chord progression of the passamezzo antico is identical to the romanesca, except for the opening chord, which is i instead of III). A famous example of a romanesca is the refrain of "Greensleeves" (whose verses follow the progression of the passamezzo antico, of which the romanesca is an alteration) . Later appearances Some use of the romanesca pattern has been linked to the late 18th century. In the Journal of the Music Theory Society of New York State, an entry titled "Interactions between Topics and Schemata: The Case of the Sacred Romanesca" by Olga Sánchez-Kisielewska defines the "Romanesca schema" as a voice-leading pattern. According to Sánchez-Kisielewska, this "Romanesca schema" is found in late-18th century compositions as an expression of the sacred. This is one instance where the romanesca pattern is documented as having a possible association with spirituality. Romanesca is also the name of two early music ensembles: one, La Romanesca, founded in 1978 in Australia by John Griffiths; and the other, Romanesca, founded in 1988 in England by Nigel North. Both specialize in the performance of early plucked string instruments. See also