Fabbri Paolo. Monteverdi

Translated by Tim Karter. — Cambridge University Press, 1994. — 367 p.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.ForewordNotes on Monteverdi's textsCremona
Birth, family, surroundings
The Sacrae cantiunculae tribus vocibus (1582)
The Madrigali spirituali a quattro voci (1583)
The Canzonette a tre voci (1584)
The Madrigali a cinque voci … Libro primo (1587)
Il secondo libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1590)Mantua
Il terzo libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1592)
1594–1599
The dispute over the ‘seconda pratica’
1601–1604
Il quarto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1603)
Il quinto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1605)
1605–1607
Orfeo (1607)
The Scherzi musicali a tre voci (1607);
The summer of 1607 and the death of Claudia Cattaneo Monteverdi
The 1608 festivities: Arianna, the prologue for L’Idropica, the Ballo delle ingrate
1608–1609
The ‘Mass and Vespers of the Blessed Virgin' (1610)
1610–1613: the death of Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Monteverdi’s dismissal from Mantua, his move to VeniceVenice
Il sesto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1614);
1614–1619
Concerto: settimo libro de madrigali (1619);
1619–1624
The Combattimento di Tancredi et Clorinda (1624)
1624–1627
Festivities in Parma, 1628;
1628–1632;
The Scherzi musicali (1632)
1633–1638
The Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi … Libro ottavo (1638)
The Selva morale e spirituale (1640–1641)
Opera in Venice;
Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria (1640)
1641–1642
La coronatione di Poppea (1643)
1643: Monteverdi’s death
The posthumous publications
Notes
Works cited
Index of Monteverdi's works
Index of names