Sebastian Raval (c.1550-1604) was a Spanish composer of vocal and instrumental music. Born in Cartagena, he served as a soldier of the Army of Flanders in Flanders and Sicily. He joined the order of St. John of Jerusalem after being wounded in the siege of Maastricht. He moved to Italy where he served as a musician in the court of Francesco Maria II della Rovere in Urbino, of the viceroy of Sicily, Bernardino de Cardenas, and of the cardinals Peretti and Colonna in Rome. \u25CF The canzonette in this album are a clear proof of Raval's talent. They were published in Il primo libro di canzonette a quattro voci (Venice, 1593), dedicated to the Colonna family. The canzonetta is a light genre, with anonymous texts inspired by Petrarch and in madrigalian vein, abounding in themes of love and melancholy. The Canzonette are alternated by Ricercari. \u25CF Beautifully performed by the string ensemble La Violondrina, led by Maria Saturno. Maria Saturno, Venezuelan-Italian cellist and viola gambist, graduated from the Uni- versity of Musical Studies, Caracas, Venezuela. She participated in master classes with teachers Wieland Kuijken, Jordi Savall, Guido Balestracci, Bettina Hoffmann, Vittorio Ghielmi and Juan Manuel Quintana.