This composition is modelled after a Renaissance dance called a Volta from the 16th century. The volta is characterized by fast tempo and typically performed as a couple’s dance. La Volta by Michael Pretorius (1571 –1621) is perhaps one of the most famous examples of the dance and has been transcribed for lute by Italian musicologist, Oscar Chilesotti (1848-1916).
Theme excerpt from La Volta by Michael Praetorius:
