Battista Guarini

Giovanni Battista Guarini (December 10, 1538 – October 7, 1612) was an Italian poet, dramatist, and diplomat. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

Life

He was born in Ferrara, and spent his early life both in Padua and Ferrara, entering the service of Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, in 1567. Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. Padua ( Padova 'padova Latin: Patavium, Padoa) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy. Alfonso II d'Este ( November 22, 1533 - October 27 1597) was Duke of Ferrara from 1559 to 1597 List of Dukes of Ferrara and of Modena In 1452 the Italian family of Este, Lords of Ferrara, were created Dukes of Modena and After 15 years in the service of the Duke, he resigned and withdrew to his family estate, the Villa Guarina, where he wrote his most notable work, Il pastor fido (1590; The Faithful Shepherd, 1647). This play, a pastoral tragicomedy, polished in style, was translated into many languages and became popular during the 17th century. It set the pattern for a code of refinement and gallantry that lasted until the late 18th century.

He was the father of Anna Guarini, one of the famous virtuoso singers of the Ferrara court, the three women of the concerto di donne. Anna Guarini, Contessa Trotti (1563 &ndash May 3, 1598) was an Italian virtuoso singer of the late Renaissance. She was murdered by her husband in 1598, with the assistance of her brother Girolamo.

Work and influence

No poet was more influential on music history in the late Renaissance and Baroque eras than Guarini. This article is about the academic field of music history. For a chronological overview of music see History of music. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc His poems were set more often by madrigal composers than the work of any other poet, even Tasso, who came in a close second; the prolific madrigal composer Philippe de Monte even named one of his collections Il pastor fido after Guarini's most famous work. A madrigal is a type of Secular vocal music composition written during the Renaissance and early Baroque eras Torquato Tasso ( 11 March 1544 &ndash 25 April 1595) was an Italian Poet of the 16th century best known for his poem Philippe de Monte (1521 – July 4, 1603) sometimes known as Philippus de Monte, was a Flemish composer of the late Renaissance. His popularity was due to his providing texts to composers which were rich with possibilities for word-painting and other easy translations of emotion into music. Word painting (also known as tone painting or text painting) is the musical technique of having the music mimic the literal meaning of a song

In addition to his decisive influence on madrigal composers, he was the single largest influence on opera librettists up until the time of Metastasio in the 18th century. A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his Pseudonym of Metastasio, ( January 3, 1698 &ndash April 12, 1782

While Guarini's work may be seen as lacking the deep feeling and sentiment of his predecessor at the Estensi court, Torquato Tasso, it was precisely this quality which commended it to musical setting at a time when excessive emotionalism had become unfashionable. Torquato Tasso ( 11 March 1544 &ndash 25 April 1595) was an Italian Poet of the 16th century best known for his poem

An example of his work would be "O come e\ gran martire" from Libro Terzo dei Madrigali (1592), Monteverdi.

External links

• Works by Giovanni Battista Guarini at Project Gutenberg