This book, originally published in Italian, is a leading biographical 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. 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 centres in Italy. Fabbri uses these documents and other sources to present a rich narrative focusing on a composer who has perhaps rightly been called the 'father of modern music'. This translation brings an indispensable text to a much broader readership, providing a vivid picture of a fascinating period in music history.
Table of Contents
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. 1594-1599; 10. The dispute over the 'seconda pratica'; 11. 1601-1604; 12. Il quarto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1603); 13. Il quinto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1605); 14. 1605-1607; 15. Orfeo (1607); 16. The Scherzi musicali a tre voci (1607); 17. The summer of 1607 and the death of Claudia Cattaneo Monteverdi; 18. The 1608 festivities: Arianna, the prologue for L'Idropica, the Ballo delle ingrate; 19. 1608-1609; 20. The 'Mass and Vespers of the Blessed Virgin' (1610); 21. 1610-1613: the death of Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Monteverdi's dismissal from Mantua, his move to Venice; Part III. Venice: 22. Venice; 23. Il sesto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1614); 24. 1614-1619 25. Concerto: settimo libro de madrigali (1619); 26. 1619-1624; 27. The Combattimento di Tancredi et Clorinda (1624); 28. 1624-1627; 29. Festivities in Parma, 1628; 30. 1628-1632; 31. The Scherzi musicali (1632); 32. 1633-1638; 33. The Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi ... Libro ottavo (1638); 34. The Selva morale e spirituale (1640-1641); 35. Opera in Venice; 36. Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria (1640); 37. 1641-1642; 38. La coronatione di Poppea (1643); 39. 1643: Monteverdi's death; 40. The posthumous publications; Notes; Works cited; Index of Monteverdi's works; Index of names.
