Monteverdi [Paperback]

This book, originally published in Italian, is a leading study of the greatest composer of late Renaissance and early Baroque Italy.Monteverdi's contribution to secular, sacred and theatrical music in the period was unparalleled: his madrigals, church music and operas remain very much alive today. In this book, a large number of contemporary documents including some 130 of his own letters, offer rich insights into the composer and his times.Monteverdi's contribution to secular, sacred and theatrical music in the period was unparalleled: his madrigals, church music and operas remain very much alive today. In this book, a large number of contemporary documents including some 130 of his own letters, offer rich insights into the composer and his times.Paolo Fabbri's Monteverdi, first published in Italian, is the leading study of the greatest composer of late Renaissance and early Baroque Italy, rightly called the father of modern music. A large number of contemporary documents, including some 130 of his own letters, offer rich insights into the composer and his times, also illuminating the many and varied contexts for music-making in the most important musical centers in Italy. This newly revised translation brings an indispensable text to a much broader readership.Foreword; Preface; Notes on Monteverdi's texts; Introduction; Part I. Cremona: 1. Birth, family, surroundings; 2. The Sacrae cantiunculae tribus vocibus (1582); 3. The Madrigali spirituali a quattro voci (1583); 4. The Canzonette a tre voci (1584); 5.The Madrigali a cinque voci & Libro primo (1587); 6. Il secondo libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1590); Part II. Mantua: 7. Mantua; 8. Il terzo libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1592); 9. 15941599; 10. The dispute over the 'seconda pratica'; 11. 16011604; 12. Il quarto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1603); 13. Il quinto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1605); 14. 16051607; 15. Orfeo (1607); 16. The Scherzi musicali a tre voci (1607); 17. The summer of 1lS.