The arias by Cosimo Bottegari are extremely pure examples of the Florentine monodic style of the late sixteenth century. Characterized by an intense sense of drama in the melodic line, an exemplary adherence of the music to the text, and a modern series of harmonic dissonances, these works can hold their own against the better-known arias of Giulio Caccini and Jacopo Peri. The lion’s share of Bottegari’s repertoire, however, is represented by strophic pieces of a popular nature. In this genre, the manuscript presents both original compositions by Bottegari and transcriptions of villanelle, napoletane and canzonette written by the most celebrated authors of the time.