Monteverdi and his Contemporaries

Tim Carter, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, USA

• Contents: Introduction; Music publishing in Italy, c.1580–c.1625: some preliminary observations; On the composition and performance of Caccini’s Le nuove musiche (1602); Caccini’s Amarilli, mia bella: some questions (and a few answers); New songs for old? Guarini and the monody; ‘An air new and grateful to the ear’: the concept of aria in late Renaissance and early Baroque Italy; Artusi, Monteverdi, and the poetics of modern music; ‘Sfogava con le stelle’ reconsidered: some thoughts on the analysis of Monteverdi’s Mantuan Madrigals; Resemblance and representation: towards a new aesthetic in the music of Monteverdi; Possente spirto: on taming the power of music; Intriguing laments: Sigismondo d’India, Claudio Monteverdi, and Dido alla parmigiana (1628); ‘In Love’s harmonious consort’? Penelope and the interpretation of Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria; Re-reading Poppea: some thoughts on music and meaning in Monteverdi’s last opera; Index.

'This is essential reading for Monteverdi enthusiasts, and not all the items are in readily accessible journals.' Early Music Review 'The other impression that emerges is of Carter’s great intellectual energy. These essays are densely packed with ideas, knowledge and wide-ranging references to other writings. He expresses in his introduction the hope that this collection might ’add up to more than the sum of its parts’: for me it certainly does...anyone with an interest in this period in musical history and this repertoire cannot but find Carter’s writings hugely informative and stimulating.' International Record Review '...rich collection of essays.' Journal of seventeenth-Century Music '... collects together a wealth of material and should be consulted by anyone involved in the performance of Italian music of the late Renaissance and early Baroque.' American Recorder 'Tim Carter's second volume for the Variorum Collected Studies Series is a valuable reference work for historians or musicologists interested in the changes in musical style and aesthetics that took place in the early seventeenth century in Italy.' Sixteenth Century Journal