Bernier and Italy: Bernardo Pasquini’s Partimenti and Nicolas Bernier’s Counterpoint

Abstract The Italian features of Nicolas Bernier’s musical style have already been brought to light, but one remains to be addressed: his contrapuntal writing and the relationship between the basso continuo and the other parts. Nothing is known of Bernier’s stay in Rome, but musical clues suggest that he was in contact with Bernardo Pasquini and that he may have practised the latter’s partimenti. Bernier’s output betrays musical gestures inherited from these Italian pedagogical tools, testifying that the partimento tradition had a profound impact on the composer and that he played a key role in introducing its use in France.