Girolamo Alessandro Frescobaldi (1583–1643) was an Italian composer and virtuoso keyboard player. He brought a wide range of emotion to the unexplored territory of instrumental music, influencing composers such as Johann Jakob Froberger, Johann Sebastian Bach and Henry Purcell among others. His Aria detta la Frescobalda can be translated as “Air/theme known as the Frescobaldi”. The work is based on a theme which is followed by a set of four variations with the final movement being a dance. Through this lovely blend, another trait of Frescobaldi’s language surfaces: dramatic mood shifts heightened by chromatic figures.