Vincenzo Galilei, the father of Galileo Galilei, published two different editions of his important treatise 'Fronimo Dialogo' in 1568 and 1584. In both editions, Galilei addresses composition, lute playing, technique, tuning, taste, counterpoint and, most importantly, intabulations. There are radical, yet unacknowledged, changes in both repertoire and theory examples between the two editions, changes which tacitly reveal important shifts in Galilei's approach to modal ordering and representative repertoire. Though Galilei acknowledges the numerous changes in repertoires in the 1584 edition, he says little regarding why he has changed both the choice repertoire and has taken markedly different approaches to orderings and endings— important changes that can be traced to the influence of Glarean's Dodecachordon. This paper will address the tacit shift from eight-mode to twelve-mode theory from the 1568 to the 1584 editions as evidenced in Galilei’s lessons, whilst making reference to his chosen repertoire groupings of original and arranged music. Finally, the paper will address epistemological changes between the two books with reference to recent issues regarding both modal classification analysis and intabulation.
"The Order of Things: A Reappraisal of Vincenzo Galilei’s Fronimo Dialogues, 1568 and 1584”