The sequence consists of two phrases as follows: (For an explanation of this notation see Chord progression)
i
bVII
i
V
III
bVII
i V
i
Though usually in the key of G minor,[1] in the key of A minor this gives:
Am
G
Am
E
C
G
Am E
Am
The romanesca is a variant of the passamezzo antico, where the first chord is the III (e.g., a C major chord in A minor). A famous example is "Greensleeves".
The passamezzo antico chord changes are found, knowingly or not, in modern popular music culture: Carrie Underwood's debut album Some Hearts has two examples, "Before He Cheats" (a big U.S. hit in 2006) and "Starts with Goodbye".
Sources
^ abApel, Willi (1997). The History of Keyboard Music to 1700, p.263. Trans. Tischler, Hans. ISBN0-253-21141-7.
^van der Merwe, Peter. 1989. Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music, p.207. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN0-19-316121-4.