Giovanni Padovani dedicated this work to Bishop of Verona
Agostino Valier and presents his
Institutiones as a brief but complete method by which "anyone can learn to compose songs in the briefest amount of time within the confines of his own home without a teacher." It contains 8 rules of counterpoint with further brief writings on modes, canons, and composing for 2, 3, 4 and 5 voices. The book has a short amount of text, and a very practical orientation, giving many examples which are to be studied and imitated, to be used as one own and transposed to whichever mode one pleases. The musical examples, which form by far the biggest part of his book, start with florid counterpoint above and below a plainchant, showing basic formulas that one can do according to the movement of the chant. After this he gives examples of cadences, interspersed with stretto fuga or canons, mostly after a semi breve, which he calls formulas, first for two voices, and then for three, four and five voices in the later parts. Of particular note is the final chapter titled
Terminandarum Cantionum, which is a collection of
supplementi; musical appendixes added after the final structural cadence, mostly with one or more voices holding the finalis tone, not unrelated to
pedal point. == List of works ==