Giovanni Paolo Cima (1570-1630) was an Italian composer, organist and violinist who was active during the transition period from the Renaissance to the early Baroque. He was music director of the church of Santa Maria presso San Celso in Milan and had a significant influence on the city's musical life. Cima belonged to a generation of northern Italian composers who experimented with the emerging stylistic innovations of the early 17th century, particularly in instrumental music.

One of his most important contributions is the collection Ricercari e canzoni alle francese, published in 1606. This work is considered one of the earliest Italian publications of works for solo instruments with continuo and marks a significant advance in the development of the Baroque sonata. The collection includes a variety of instrumental forms, particularly ricercari and canzoni, which demonstrate his ability to combine contrapuntal techniques with expressive melodic writing.

The ricercari reflect the older Renaissance tradition, often building on imitative counterpoint and demonstrating Cima's mastery of structure and thematic development. In contrast, the canzoni are more lively and sectional and point to the emerging concertato style. These pieces are often characterized by contrasting rhythms and clear melodic phrasing, suggesting the influence of vocal models on instrumental composition.

Cima's music reflects both conservatism and innovation. Although rooted in Renaissance polyphony, his Ricercari e canzoni anticipate the more dramatic and expressive instrumental music that was to characterize the Baroque period. His work laid the foundations for later composers such as Dario Castello and Biagio Marini and contributed to the broader turn towards idiomatic instrumental composition and the increasing independence of instrumental genres in early 17th century Italy.

Played by Federico Del Sordo, organ and harpsichord (organ: the Meiarini organ (1630), Chiesa S. Maria del Carmine, Brescia, the harpsichord was built by Francesco Marini after an anonymous model. Italian, early 17th century. Federico Del Sordo is one of the most important Italian musicians and scholars of early music and can look back on an impressive discography.