Mantua

Question 1

Mantua - general

Answer 1

• More temperate than Copenhagen – theory that climate influences music-making: more temperate weather better for music-making.
• Ruled by Gonzaga family, small but culturally significant

Question 2

Monteverdi dates

Answer 2

1590 Enters the service of the Duke of Mantua
1601 Director of Music at the Mantuan court
1607 Orfeo premiered at Mantua
1608 Arianna premiered at Mantua
1613 Maestro di capella at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice

Question 3

Intermedi

Answer 3

• Intermedi – started to tell their own stories in between acts of a play e.g. La Pellegrina, for a wedding of the Medici family in Florence.
• Required great forces of dancers, singers; collaboratively composed.
• Intermedi music – ‘the new music’ of 1600s but rooted in models of madrigal/monody (virtuosic etc) l from 20+ years before
• Term ‘opera’ not consolidated until later 18th century – used as a narrative term, but this disregards the disorderly history of its development. ‘Dramma per musica’ more prevalent during 17th century.

Question 4

L’Arianna, general

Answer 4

• 1608
• Story chosen by the Duke; composed for wedding of his son Francesco.
• About Arianna (Ariadne) who is wooed by Theseus and then abandoned on Naxos – until she becomes Bacchus’ bride.
• Large production – spectators in 1000s, c.300 people to operate stage machinery
• Role of Arianna written for lead singer of court but she died during rehearsals so was replaced by Virginia Ramponi-Andreini – primarily actress not singer – focus on performative presence (e.g. painting ‘Arianna e Bacco’)

Question 5

Musical impact of L’Arianna

Answer 5

• Power of affective musical expression in the moment of performance
• Especially through lament:
• Accented, unprepared dissonace, more expressive than representative
• recitar cantando
• Lament only surviving music because was later published in book of madrigals in 1614

Question 6

Laments and women

Answer 6

• Importance for women to ‘give in’ to their male lovers
• Though laments at weddings seem unusual: outbursts contradict womanly standards of behaviour; plus associated with uncouthness and seductiveness – danger.
• But also pleasurable musical experiences for men.
• Happy ending of the opera – man has ‘cured’ the lament by bedding the woman.
• If unhappy ending – women have to be undone and die.

Question 7

Lamento della ninfa

Answer 7

• In 1638 book of madrigals
• Descending ostinato bassline on minor tetrachord, unlike other free-flowing madrigals
• Creates dissonances with vocal line
• Trio of male singers accompany (why is this unusal?)-

Question 8

Strozzi

Answer 8

• Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
• Supported herself through music and didn’t marry
• Prolific composer of secular vocal music
• Lots of music in arioso style e.g. ‘Lagrime mie’

Question 9

Venice Revival of L’Arianna

Answer 9

• 1640, Teatro San Moisè
• Changed the way in which operatic production worked – aim was to make money to keep productions going
• Smaller productions, fewer people, simpler stage designs
• Catering to different tastes
• Primary composer of new operas was Cavalli.

Question 10

Women in early Baroque

Answer 10

• Women seen as innately weak, passive
• But also thought that women needed to climax in order for reproduction
• These misunderstandings shaped production of music: erotic music might help conceive
• Female singers seen as dangerous so men and boys dominated church music (incl castrati)
• Complexity of early modern sexuality key to development of music at time

Question 11

Gonzaga patronage

Answer 11

• 1601, Monteverdi became maestro di capella, but in charge of so many musicians he considered his job to be maestro della musica of the duke
• Gonzagas kept virtuosi in the court and Monteverdi had to compose music for them
• Monteverdi as mere employee; complained of underpayment – disadvantaged by star singers who got all the money.
• L’Arianna composed under severe time pressure for the wedding of Prince Francesco
• Returned to Mantua after leaving in 1609 after negotiations with Duke Vincenzo to give him enough pay.
• Left finally in 1612 after death of Duke Vincenzo, as Francesco got rid of Monteverdi for cost-cutting reasons. So went to Venice.

Question 12

Seconda pratica

Answer 12

• Style of madrigals: move away from Palestrina, to more freedom from limitations of dissonance in renaissance counterpoint.
• Artusi criticised this.
• He saw the traditional as complementary, not opposed
• His second practice of equal validity with first