Individual Works
Arianna
ENOG 45 (1992).
- Porter, William V. “Lamenti recitativi da camera.” In “Con che soavità”
(#2461), 73–110.
Monteverdi produced three settings of Ariadne’s lament, “Lasciatemi morire,”
for accompanied solo voice: (1) in the opera Arianna(1608; music lost); (2) an
independent piece for chamber players (published 1623); and (3) a spiritual
work with Ariadne’s words reworked and assigned to the Virgin Mary (pub-
lished 1640). Porter discusses these, concentrating on the chamber works.
Extensive footnotes cover the entire literature on all the Monteverdi versions. - Rosand, Ellen. “The Descending Tetrachord: An Emblem of Lament.” MQ 65
(1979): 346–359. Reprint, GL,v.5.
Looks at the reasons for the association, in the mid–17th century, between the
idea of lamentation and the descending minor tetrachord. Gives background
of the lament and takes up notable examples, among them the one in Mon-
teverdi’s Arianna.It is not an aria with a standard structure; rather, it flows
with the shape of the text. “Fully aware of the dramatic possibilities in the
tetrachord, Monteverdi deliberately and irregularly contradicts the strong
implications of the pattern...by employing suspensions, syncopation, and
phrase overlapping, he creates affective dissonances.” Earlier laments of Fran-
cesco Cavalli are contrasted with Monteverdi’s. The tetrachord formula was
carried forward to Purcell, Handel, and Bach. Musical examples, footnotes to
the relevant literature.
L’incoronazione di Poppea
ASO 115 (1988), ENOG 45 (1992).
- Osthoff, Wolfgang. “Die venezianische und neapolitanische Fassung von
Monteverdis Incoronazione di Poppea.” AM26 (1954): 88–113.
Compares the two manuscripts in detail. Both have to be taken into account in
the search for an authentic score. - Fenlon, Iain, and Peter N. Miller. The Song of the Soul: Understanding “Pop-
pea.”RMA Monographs, 5. London: Royal Musical Association, 1992. viii,
96p. ISBN 0-94785-404-5. ML410 .M8 F37.
An exploration of Tacitism, Senecan neostoicism, and the neostoicism of the
Incogniti. Holds that Venetian intellectual life “explains far more of the detail
of both the libretto and the score...than has been recognized.” The opera is
much more than a celebration of the triumph of Amor: it is a celebration of
constantia. That principle is embodied in Drusilla (who thus appears to be the
protagonist). - Rosand, Ellen. “Monteverdi’s Mimetic Art: L’incoronazione di Poppea.” COJ
1 (1989): 113–137. Reprinted in #74.
236 Opera