Misplaced Pages

#168831

43-471: The term camerata is entirely a new construct coined by the members of Bardi's circle, although apparently based on the Italian word for "chamber", camera , a term used for a room where important meetings were held. The name for Bardi's group comes from Giulio Caccini 's score for Euridice , wherein he dedicates the work to Count Bardi, remembering the "Camerata's good years." The earliest recorded meeting

86-452: A contemporary Florentine, "means must be found in the attempt to bring music closer to that of classical times." In his formative days, Vincenzo Galilei was trained in music theory by the famed Gioseffo Zarlino . In 1582 Vincenzo Galilei performed a setting, that he composed himself, of Ugolino's lament from Dante 's Inferno . Caccini also is known to have performed several of his own songs which were more or less chanted melodically over

129-463: A few pastoral scenes. The style later became primarily linked with the development of opera. The criticism of contemporary music by the Camerata centered on the overuse of polyphony at the expense of the sung text's intelligibility. Excessive counterpoint offended so the ears of the Camerata because it muddled the affetto ("affection") of the important visceral reaction in poetry. It is the job of

172-546: A simple chordal accompaniment. The Camerata composers sought to recreate the style of Greek music, even though actual transcribed Greek music had been lost for centuries. The musical style which developed from these early experiments was called monody . In the 1590s, the monody developed into a vehicle capable of extended dramatic expression through the work of composers such as Jacopo Peri , working in conjunction with poet Ottavio Rinuccini . In 1598, Peri and Rinuccini produced Dafne , an entire drama sung in monodic style: this

215-405: A single melodic line and instrumental accompaniment. Although such music is found in various cultures throughout history, the term is specifically applied to Italian song of the early 17th century, particularly the period from about 1600 to 1640. The term is used both for the style and for individual songs (so one can speak both of monody as a whole as well as a particular monody). The term itself

258-630: A single performer, rather than by a chorus .) Musical monody, which developed out of an attempt by the Florentine Camerata in the 1580s to restore ancient Greek practices of melody and declamation (probably with little historical accuracy), one solo voice sings a melodic part, usually with considerable ornamentation , over a rhythmically independent bass line. Accompanying instruments could be lute , chitarrone , theorbo , harpsichord , organ , and even on occasion guitar . While some monodies were arrangements for smaller forces of

301-421: A specific passage can be ornamented in several different ways, according to the precise emotion that the singer wishes to convey; it also includes effusive praise for the style and amusing disdain for the work of more conservative composers of the period. The introduction is also important in the history of music theory, as it contains the first attempt to describe the figured bass of the basso continuo style of

344-486: Is a recent invention of scholars. No composer of the 17th century ever called a piece a monody. Compositions in monodic form might be called madrigals , motets , or even concertos (in the earlier sense of " concertato ", meaning "with instruments"). In poetry , the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another's death. (In the context of ancient Greek literature , monody, μονῳδία , could simply refer to lyric poetry sung by

387-416: Is brief, and located at the very end of the introduction. It is even indicated by Caccini as a "note"; an aside or addendum to the main purpose. It is important to observe, however, that the first explanation of this practice is in the context of an essay about vocal expression and intelligibility. Indeed, it was largely the aim of textual intelligibility that led to the development of this musical style, and to

430-572: Is buried in the church of St. Annunziata . The stile recitativo , as the newly created style of monody was called, proved to be popular not only in Florence, but elsewhere in Italy. Florence and Venice were the two most progressive musical centers in Europe at the end of the 16th century, and the combination of musical innovations from each place resulted in the development of what came to be known as

473-560: Is often considered the first published collection of monodies, it was actually preceded by the first collection by Domenico Melli published in Venice in March 1602 ( stile veneto , in which the new year began on 1 March). In fact, the collection was Caccini's attempt, evidently successful, to situate himself as the inventor and codifier of monody and basso continuo. Although the collection was not published until July 1602, Caccini's dedication of

SECTION 10

#1732765918169

516-488: The Florentine Camerata , the group which gathered at the home of Count Giovanni de' Bardi , and which was dedicated to recovering the supposed lost glory of ancient Greek dramatic music. With Caccini's abilities as a singer, instrumentalist, and composer added to the mix of intellects and talents, the Camerata developed the concept of monody —an emotionally affective solo vocal line, accompanied by relatively simple chordal harmony on one or more instruments—which

559-476: The Seconda pratica . Caccini writes: Note that I have been accustomed, in all places that have come from my pen, to indicate with numbers over the bass part the thirds and the sixths – major when there is a sharp, minor when a flat – and likewise when sevenths or other dissonances are to be made in the inner voices as an accompaniment. It remains only to say that ties in the bass part are used thusly by me: after

602-426: The madrigals are through-composed and contain little repetition; some of the songs, however, are strophic . Among the most famous and widely disseminated of these is the madrigal Amarilli, mia bella . A setting of Ave Maria written by Russian composer Vladimir Vavilov is often misattributed to Caccini. Notes Sources Monody In music, monody refers to a solo vocal style distinguished by having

645-489: The Baroque style. Caccini's achievement was to create a type of direct musical expression, as easily understood as speech, which later developed into the operatic recitative , and which influenced numerous other stylistic and textural elements in Baroque music. Caccini's most influential work was a collection of monodies and songs for solo voice and basso continuo , published in 1602, called Le nuove musiche . Although it

688-464: The Camerata members, the theory preceded the practice; the men decided how the music should sound before they set to compose it. The composers of the Camerata became so faithfully committed to the exploration of their declamatory style that often their pieces became rife with monotone sonorities. Eventually the influence of the Bardi circle waned as Giovanni Bardi fell out of favor. Bardi publicly endorsed

731-496: The Camerata's inception, there existed a popular sentiment among the Camerata's Renaissance contemporaries that music should mimic the ancient roots of the Greeks. The current day's thought held that the Greeks used a style between speech and song, and this belief guided the Camerata's discourse. They were influenced by Girolamo Mei , the foremost scholar of ancient Greece at the time, who held—among other things—that ancient Greek drama

774-612: The Medici. On one occasion, he informed the Grand Duke Francesco of two lovers in the Medici household— Eleonora , the wife of Pietro de' Medici , who was having an illicit affair with Bernardino Antinori —and his informing led directly to Eleonora's murder by Pietro. His rivalry with both Emilio de' Cavalieri and Jacopo Peri seems to have been intense: he may have been the one who arranged for Cavalieri to be removed from his post as director of festivities for

817-404: The [initial] chord, one should play again only the notes [of the harmony] indicated [and not the bass note again], this being (if I am not mistaken) most fitting to the proper usage of the archlute (and easiest way to manage and play it), granted that this instrument is more suitable for accompanying the voice, especially the tenor voice, than any other. This passage is often overlooked, because it

860-453: The collection to Signor Lorenzo Salviati is dated February 1601, in the stile fiorentino , when the new year began on 25 March. This likely explains why the collection is often dated to 1601. Moreover, he explicitly positions himself as the inventor of the style when describing it in the introduction. He writes: Having thus seen, as I say, that such music and musicians offered no pleasure beyond that which pleasant sounds could give – solely to

903-431: The composer to communicate the affetto into an audible, comprehensible sound. Intrigued by ancient descriptions of the emotional and moral effect of ancient Greek tragedy and comedy, which they presumed to be sung as a single line to a simple instrumental accompaniment, the Camerata proposed creating a new kind of music. Instead of trying to make the clearest polyphony they could, the Camerata voiced an opinion recorded by

SECTION 20

#1732765918169

946-445: The group had disbanded, Caccini wrote "Le nuove musiche". The members of Bardi's circle may not have recognized the full importance of their labors, as no one named the group until Caccini's label in 1600. Galilei once marked that Bardi aided noblemen in the study of music. Yet, through the critical efforts of men like Galilei, the Camerata gained an indirect influence on the flow of music history, as Galilei challenged artists to rethink

989-544: The inner parts on the instrument to express some effect – these being of little other value). The introduction to this volume is probably the most clearly written description of the performance of monody, what Caccini called affetto cantando (passionate singing), from the time (a detailed discussion of the affetto cantando performance style can be found in Toft, With Passionate Voice , pp. 227–40). Caccini's preface includes musical examples of ornaments—for example how

1032-452: The late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was one of the founders of the genre of opera , and one of the most influential creators of the new Baroque style. He was also the father of the composer Francesca Caccini and the singer Settimia Caccini . Little is known about his early life, but he is thought to have been born in Rome , the son of the carpenter Michelangelo Caccini; he was

1075-624: The marriage of Francesco I de' Medici and his mistress Bianca Cappello . This endorsement was in stark contrast to the feelings of Francesco's brother Ferdinando I de' Medici , who was a cardinal in Rome at that time. Bardi, Galilei, and Caccini left writings expounding their ideas. Bardi wrote the Discorso (1578), a long letter to Giulio Caccini, and Galilei published the Dialogo della musica antica et della moderna (1581–1582). In 1602, long after

1118-508: The most part melodic or for the most part declamatory and the two styles of presentation developed into the aria and the recitative respectively, both of which came to be incorporated into the cantata by about 1635. The parallel development of solo song with accompaniment in France was called the air de cour : the term monody is not normally applied to these more conservative songs, however, which retained many musical characteristics of

1161-493: The music for large ensembles which was common at the end of the 16th century, especially in the Venetian School , most monodies were composed independently. The development of monody was one of the defining characteristics of early Baroque practice, as opposed to late Renaissance style, in which groups of voices sang independently and with a greater balance between parts. Contrasting passages in monodies could be for

1204-465: The music of the common practice period . Caccini wrote music for three operas — Euridice (1600), Il rapimento di Cefalo (1600, excerpts published in the first Nuove musiche ), and Euridice (1602), though the first two were collaborations with others (mainly Peri for the first Euridice ). In addition he wrote the music for one intermedio ( Io che dal ciel cader farei la luna ) (1589). No music for multiple voices survives, even though

1247-399: The musicians Emilio de' Cavalieri , Francesco Cini, Cristoforo Malvezzi , and Alessandro Striggio . Literary figures included Giovanni Battista Guarini , Gabriello Chiabrera , and Giovanni Battista Strozzi the younger. The social circle of Jacopo Corsi should not be confused with the Camerata of Bardi. Though they included many of the same luminaries, the rivalry between Corsi and Bardi

1290-518: The older brother of the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Caccini . In Rome he studied the lute , the viol and the harp , and began to acquire a reputation as a singer. In the 1560s, Francesco de' Medici , Grand Duke of Tuscany, was so impressed with his talent that he took the young Caccini to Florence for further study. By 1579, Caccini was singing at the Medici court. He was a tenor , and he

1333-411: The palette of sound they had been utilizing for decades. The greatest innovation to emerge from the Camerata was not a piece of music or aesthetic ideal, but rather a door opened for further composition of dramatic music. Giulio Caccini Giulio Romolo Caccini (also Giulio Romano ) (8 October 1551 – buried 10 December 1618) was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of

Florentine Camerata - Misplaced Pages Continue

1376-470: The records from Florence indicate he was involved with polychoral music around 1610. He was predominantly a composer of monody and solo song accompanied by a chordal instrument (he himself played harp ), and it is in this capacity that he acquired his immense fame. He published two collections of songs and solo madrigals , both titled Le nuove musiche , in 1602 ( new style ) and 1614 (the latter as Nuove musiche e nuova maniera di scriverle ). Most of

1419-551: The secretary to Count Bardi. According to his own writings, his music and singing met with an enthusiastic response. However, Rome, the home of Palestrina and the Roman School , was musically conservative, and music following Caccini's stylistic lead was relatively rare there until after 1600. Caccini's character seems to have been less than perfectly honorable, as he was frequently motivated by envy and jealousy, not only in his professional life but for personal advancement with

1462-400: The sense of hearing, since they could not move the mind without the words being understood – it occurred to me to introduce a kind of music in which one could almost speak in tones, employing in it (as I have said elsewhere) a certain noble negligence of song, sometimes passing through several dissonances while still maintaining the bass note (save when I wished to do it the ordinary way and play

1505-578: The wedding of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici in 1600 (an event which caused Cavalieri to leave Florence in fury), and he also seems to have rushed his own opera Euridice into print before Peri's opera on the same subject could be published, while simultaneously ordering his group of singers to have nothing to do with Peri's production. After 1605, Caccini was less influential, though he continued to take part in composition and performance of sacred polychoral music. He died in Florence , and

1548-420: Was 14 January 1573 at Count Giovanni Bardi's house. Known members of the group besides Bardi included Giulio Caccini , Pietro Strozzi , and Vincenzo Galilei (the father of the astronomer Galileo Galilei ). Girolamo Mei also participated, and at a young age, Ottavio Rinuccini (1562-1621), likely the first opera librettist , may have also participated. Less prominent members of the Camerata may have included

1591-510: Was a revolutionary departure from the polyphonic practice of the late Renaissance. In the last two decades of the 16th century, Caccini continued his activities as a singer, teacher and composer. His influence as a teacher has perhaps been underestimated, since he trained dozens of musicians to sing in the new style, including the castrato Giovanni Gualberto Magli , who sang in the first production of Monteverdi 's first opera Orfeo . Caccini made at least one further trip to Rome, in 1592, as

1634-418: Was a time of coexistence and then an eventual synthesis of monody and polyphony . Florence, Rome, and Venice became the Italian capitals of innovation and synthesis. The Camerata's view on counterpoint and monody did not rise to prominence without opposition. Galilei's famed theory teacher Zarlino countered, "What has the musician to do with those who recite tragedies and comedies?" In the compositions of

1677-417: Was able to accompany himself on the viol or the archlute ; he sang at various entertainments, including weddings and affairs of state, and took part in the sumptuous intermedi of the time, the elaborate musical, dramatic, visual spectacles which were one of the precursors of opera. Also during this time he took part in the movement of humanists, writers, musicians and scholars of the ancient world who formed

1720-422: Was fierce and constant. Unifying the Camerata members was the belief that music had become corrupt, and by returning to the forms and style of the ancient Greeks , the art of music could be improved, and thereby society could be improved as well. Though they did not originate many of their conclusions about music, the Camerata of Bardi solidified the ideas gleaned from outside thinkers like Girolamo Mei. Prior to

1763-459: Was new. The instrumentation for an opera from the Camerata composers (Caccini and Peri) was written for a handful of gambas, lutes, and harpsichord or organ for continuo . Other composers quickly began to incorporate the ideas of the Camerata into their music, and by the first decade of the seventeenth century the new "music drama" was being widely composed, performed and disseminated. Instead of an immediate decline in contrapuntal vocal music, there

Florentine Camerata - Misplaced Pages Continue

1806-472: Was predominantly sung rather than spoken. Foundational for this belief was the writing of the Greek thinker Aristoxenus , who proposed that speech should set the pattern for song. Largely concerned with a revival of the Greek dramatic style, the Camerata's musical experiments led to the development of the stile recitativo . Cavalieri was the first to employ the new recitative style, trying his creative hand at

1849-403: Was the first creation of a new form called "opera". Though Peri's Dafne was the first performed opera, its music has been lost to the centuries. Instead, Euridice , his second opera is most-often heralded as the history-making work. The new form of opera also borrowed, especially for the librettos , from an existing pastoral poetic form called intermedio ; it was mainly the musical style that

#168831