This ricercar is a dense contrapuntal work by the Neapolitan master Ascanio Mayone. It is notable for its intricate treatment of two distinct subjects within a strict imitative framework.
Maintain clarity in the multiple voices while navigating complex, early Baroque fingering patterns.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
1. Ricercar Primo (con due Soghetti) is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 5 — meaning you can already play level 4–5 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of 1. Ricercar Primo (con due Soghetti) lasts about 6 minutes.
1. Ricercar Primo (con due Soghetti) is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include 2. Ricercar Secondo (con tre Soghetti) by Ascanio Mayone, 'Fuga sopra il Magnificat by Johann Sebastian Bach, 'Werde munter, mein Gemüte' by Johann Sebastian Bach — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.