Ricercar(e); ricercata; recercada
Italian terms that, during the 16th and 17th centuries, were used for various
types of instrumental music that differ considerably in style and purpose.
By far the most important of these is the imitative
(countrapuntal) ricercar. This is, to a certain extent,
the instrumental version of the motet.
These could be divided into two categories; the ensemble
ricercar and the organ ricercar.
The nonimitative ricercar is quite
different from the type above. In a way, they may be characterized
as "studies" in technique and instruction rather than counterpoint.
These were written for lute, organ
and viols.