MUSIC M502: MONTEVERDI

Indiana University School of Music

Fall 1999

M502 Homepage | Schedule | Listening List | Reserves | Journal | Project

Course Schedule

Week: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

This is provisional, to be followed unless we decide to change it. Since much of our class time will be spent in discussion, we should allow ourselves the flexibility to spend longer on a piece or an issue that interests us, skim over something that doesn't interest us, and take up topics when it makes sense to do so, even if that means rearranging the schedule.

Compact discs, videodiscs, videocassettes, and scores are on reserve in the Music Library. Books listed here are on reserve at the Music Library, and journals are in the stacks. To save wear and tear on these materials, photocopies of all scores and translations and all assigned readings are on personal reserve in the hanging files in the reserve room (or will be soon!).

In addition to the assigned readings, you are invited (but not required) to read one of the three biographies of Monteverdi on reserve, particularly those by Denis Arnold (3rd edition by Tim Carter) and Paolo Fabbri (translated by Tim Carter).

WEEK ONE

Mon Aug 30
Introductions, to each other and to the course
Overview of Monteverdi's life and career

Wed Sep 1
Early career and early madrigals

Listening:
- Madrigals from Books I and II, and Vezzosi augelli by Giaches de Wert
Reading:
- New Grove Dictionary, s.v. "Monteverdi, Claudio," chapters 1, 4, and 5 (i).
- Denis Arnold, Monteverdi Madrigals, BBC Music Guides (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1969), 5-20. [MT 115 .M7 A75 1969]
- Gary Tomlinson, Monteverdi and the End of the Renaissance (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987), 33-57. [ML 410 .M7 T55]
Optional reading:
- Denis Arnold, "Monteverdi and His Teachers," in The New Monteverdi Companion, ed. Denis Arnold and Nigel Fortune (London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1985), 91-106. [ML 410 .M7 A76 1985]

Fri Sep 3
Madrigals from Books III (pub. 1592) and IV (pub. 1603)

Listening:
- Madrigals from Book III and Book IV
Reading:
- New Grove Dictionary, s.v. "Monteverdi, Claudio," chapter 2, and s.v. "Mantua."
- Denis Arnold, Monteverdi Madrigals, 21-28. [MT 115 .M7 A75 1969]
- Gary Tomlinson, Monteverdi and the End of the Renaissance, 58-98. [ML 410 .M7 T55]

WEEK TWO

Mon Sep 6
Madrigals from Book V (pub. 1605)

Listening:
- Madrigals from Book V
Reading:
- G. M. Artusi, excerpt from L'Artusi, and Claudio Monteverdi, Foreword to Il quinto libro de' madrigali with the "Declaration" of Giulio Cesare Monteverdi, in Oliver Strunk, Source Readings in Music History (New York: W. W. Norton, 1950), 393-412. [ML 160 .S89]
  
  [Note: The revised edition of Strunk, ML 160 .S89 1998, has these on pp. 526-44, with the first slightly shortened and the second newly translated.]
- Denis Arnold, Monteverdi Madrigals, 29-38. [MT 115 .M7 A75 1969]

Wed Sep 8
Understanding the Monteverdi-Artusi controversy from several perspectives

Reading:
- Claude V. Palisca, "The Artusi-Monteverdi Controversy," in The New Monteverdi Companion, ed. Denis Arnold and Nigel Fortune (London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1985), 127-58. [ML 410 .M7 A76 1985]
- Gary Tomlinson, Monteverdi and the End of the Renaissance (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987), 21-30. [ML 410 .M7 T55]
- Eric T. Chafe, "Introduction: Tonality and 'Word,'" in MonteverdiÕs Tonal Language (New York: Schirmer Books, 1992), 1-20. [ML 410 .M78 C4]
- Suzanne G. Cusick, "Gendering Modern Music: Thoughts on the Monteverdi-Artusi Controversy," Journal of the American Musicological Society 46 (Spring 1993): 1-25.

Fri Sep 10
L'Orfeo (1607), focusing on Acts I-II

Listening:
- L'Orfeo
Viewing:
- VIDEODISC ADQ6969
  
  NOTE: We will try to find times to view the videos together, outside of class.
Reading:
- New Grove Dictionary, s.v. "Monteverdi, Claudio," chapter 6.
- Gary Tomlinson, Monteverdi and the End of the Renaissance (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987), 131-41. [ML 410 .M7 T55]
- Stephen Stubbs, "L'armonia sonora: Continuo Orchestration in Monteverdi's Orfeo," Early Music 22 (February 1994): 87-98.

WEEK THREE

Mon Sep 13
L'Orfeo (1607), focusing on Acts III-IV
IN CLASS: Be prepared to share your journal with classmates and to see how others are using theirs.

Reading:
- Susan McClary, "Constructions of Gender in Monteverdi's dramatic music," in Feminine Endings: Music and Sexuality (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1991): 35-52. [ML 82 .M38]
- John Bokina, "The Prince as Deity, Beast, and Tyrant: MonteverdiÕs Orfeo, Ulisse, and Poppea," in Opera and Politics: From Monteverdi to Henze (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 13-24. [ML 1700 .B6]
  
  Note: Only the section on L'Orfeo is assigned for today; the sections on Ulisse and Poppea are assigned for later.
- Tim Carter, "The North Italian Courts," in The Early Baroque Era: From the Late 16th Century to the 1660s, ed. Curtis Price, Man and Music, vol. 3 (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1993), 23-48. [ML193 .E3 P7]

Wed Sep 15
Vespers of 1610: liturgy, psalm settings, and Magnificats

Listening:
- Vespro della Beata Vergine
Reading:
- New Grove Dictionary, s.v. "Monteverdi, Claudio," chapter 8.
- John Whenham, Monteverdi: Vespers (1610), Cambridge Music Handbooks (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 1-22, 60-81, and 95-120 (Appendices 1 and 2). [ML 410 .M7 W44]

Fri Sep 17
1610 Vespers: concertos
Missa da Capella a 6 super In illo tempore (1610)
IN CLASS: Assignment to teams for team projects

Listening:
- Missa da Capella a 6 super In illo tempore
Reading:
- John Whenham, Monteverdi: Vespers (1610), Cambridge Music Handbooks (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 23-59 (82-94 optional). [ML 410 .M7 W44]
- Jeffrey G. Kurtzman, "A Critical Commentary on the Missa In illo tempore," in Essays on the Monteverdi Mass and Vespers of 1610, Rice University Studies, vol. 64, no. 4, (Houston: William March Rice University, 1978), 47-68. [ML 410 .M7 K8]

WEEK FOUR

Mon Sep 20
Lamento d'Arianna, arranged from L'Arianna (1608)
ASSIGNMENT: In your journal, write a brief overview (2-3 pages) of Monteverdi's career and music to 1610, comparing the music of his that we have studied in each of his three realms: madrigals, opera, and sacred music.
HAND IN JOURNALS for first reading

Listening:
- Lamento d'Arianna, in version as Madrigals from Book VI (pub. 1614)
Reading:
- Denis Arnold, Monteverdi Madrigals, 38-41. [MT 115 .M7 A75 1969]
- Gary Tomlinson, Monteverdi and the End of the Renaissance, 114-31. [ML 410 .M7 T55]
- Suzanne G. Cusick, "'There was not one lady who failed to shed a tear': Arianna's Lament and the Construction of Modern Womanhood," Early Music 22 (February 1994): 21-41.

Wed Sep 22
Madrigals, Book VII, and songs from Scherzi musicali

Listening:
- Madrigals from Book VII (pub. 1619) and excerpts from Scherzi musicali (pub. 1632)
Reading:
- New Grove Dictionary, s.v. "Monteverdi, Claudio," chapters 3 and 5 (ii-iii), and s.v. "Venice," chapters 1-2.
- Denis Arnold, Monteverdi Madrigals, 42-51. [MT 115 .M7 A75 1969]
- Ellen Rosand, "Venice, 1580-1680," in The Early Baroque Era: From the Late 16th Century to the 1660s, ed. Curtis Price, Man and Music, vol. 3 (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1993), 75-102. [ML193 .E3 P7]

Fri Sep 24
religious works from Monteverdi's Venetian years

Listening:
- Sacred works from Selva morale e spirituale (pub. 1641)
Reading:
- Denis Arnold, Monteverdi Church Music, 33-59. [ML 410 .M7 A755]
- Denis Arnold, "Formal Design in Monteverdi's Church Music," in Congresso internazionale sul tema Claudio Monteverdi e il suo tempo, ed. Raffaello Monterosso (Verona: Valdonega, 1969), 187-216. [ML 410 M7 .M73]
- John Steele, "The Concertato Synthesis: Monteverdi's 'Beatus Primo,'" in Claudio Monteverdi: Festschrift Reinhold Hammerstein zum 70. Geburtstag, ed. Ludwig Finscher (Laaber: Laaber-Verlag, 1986), 427-34. [ML 410 .M7 C5]

WEEK FIVE

Mon Sep 27
Selva morale, continued, and Messa a 4 voci da cappella (pub. 1650)

Listening:
- Messa a 4 voci da cappella
Reading:
- Reginald Smith Brindle, "Monteverdi's G Minor Mass: An Experiment in Construction," in Musical Quarterly 54 (1968): 352-60.

Wed Sep 29
Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (The Combat of Tancred and Clorinda) (1624, pub. 1638)

Listening:
- Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda
Reading:
- New Grove Dictionary, s.v. "Monteverdi, Claudio," chapter 7.
- Claudio Monteverdi, Foreword to Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi, in Oliver Strunk, Source Readings in Music History, 413-15. [ML 160 .S89]
  
  [Note: The revised edition of Strunk, ML 160 .S89 1998, has this on pp. 665-67.]

Fri Oct 1
Madrigali guerrieri (Madrigals of war), from Book VIII (pub. 1638)
ASSIGNMENT DUE: Topic proposal for paper and individual presentation

Listening:
- Madrigals of war, from Book VIII
Reading:
- Denis Arnold, Monteverdi Madrigals, 51-61. [MT 115 .M7 A75 1969]

WEEK SIX

Mon Oct 4
Madrigali amorosi (Madrigals of Love), from Book VIII (pub. 1638)

Listening:
- Madrigals of love, from Book VIII
Reading:
- Susan McClary, "Excess and Frame: The Musical Representation of Madwomen," in Feminine Endings, 80-91 (92-111 optional). [ML 82 .M38]

Wed Oct 6
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria [The Return of Ulysses] (1640)

Listening:
- Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria
Viewing:
- LASER VIDEODISC ACZ6169 or VIDEOCASSETTE VTP-S .M7812 A.3-8
  NOTE: We will try to find times to view the video together, outside of class.
Reading:
- Ellen Rosand, "The Bow of Ulysses," Journal of Musicology 12 (Summer 1994): 376-95.

Fri Oct 8
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, continued

Reading:
- Tim Carter, "'In love's harmonious consort'?: Penelope and the Interpretation of Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria," Cambridge Opera Journal 5 (March 1993): 1-16.
- Ellen Rosand, "Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and the Power of 'Music,'" Cambridge Opera Journal 7 (November 1995): 179-84.
- John Bokina, "The Prince as Deity, Beast, and Tyrant: Monteverdi's Orfeo, Ulisse, and Poppea," in Opera and Politics: From Monteverdi to Henze (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 24-32. [ML 1700 .B6]

WEEK SEVEN

Mon Oct 11
L'incoronazione di Poppea [The Coronation of Poppea] (1643)
ASSIGNMENT DUE: First draft of group bibliography

Listening:
- L'incoronazione di Poppea
Viewing:
- LASER VIDEODISC ADC0097 or VIDEOCASSETTE VTP-S .M7812 A.5-20
  NOTE: We will try to find times to view the video together, outside of class.
Reading:
- Ellen Rosand, "Did Monteverdi Write L'Incoronazione di Poppea and Does It Matter?," Opera News 59, no. 1 (July 1994): 20-23.
- Ellen Rosand, "Monteverdi's Mimetic Art: L'incoronazione di Poppea," Cambridge Opera Journal 1 (July 1989): 113-37.
- John Bokina, "The Prince as Deity, Beast, and Tyrant: Monteverdi's Orfeo, Ulisse, and Poppea," in Opera and Politics: From Monteverdi to Henze (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 32-40. [ML 1700 .B6]

Wed Oct 13
L'incoronazione di Poppea, continued
PLEASE NOTE: The following assignment has been canceled.
ASSIGNMENT: In your journal, write a brief essay summarizing and comparing the interpretations of Poppea by Rosand and by Fenlon and Miller. Are you persuaded by either or both approaches? What is your own interpretation?

Reading:
- Ellen Rosand, "Seneca and the Interpretation of L'Incoronazione di Poppea," Journal of the American Musicological Society 38 (1985): 34-71.
Optional reading:
- Iain Fenlon and Peter N. Miller, The Song of the Soul: Understanding Poppea (London: Royal Musical Association, 1992). [ML 410 .M7 F33]

Fri Oct 15
NO CLASS TODAY

WEEK EIGHT

Mon Oct 18
Monteverdi's career and music
ASSIGNMENT DUE: In your journal, write a brief overview (3-4 pages) Monteverdi's career and music since 1610, comparing the music of his Venetian period that we have studied to his earlier music in the areas of madrigals, opera, and sacred music.
HAND IN JOURNALS for second reading

Reading:
- New Grove Dictionary, s.v. "Monteverdi, Claudio," chapter 9.

Wed Oct 20
GROUP PRESENTATION: Opera and dramatic music (1)

Fri Oct 22
GROUP PRESENTATION: Monteverdi as a transitional figure

WEEK NINE

Mon Oct 25
GROUP PRESENTATION: Instrumental music (1)

Wed Oct 27
GROUP PRESENTATION: Instrumental music (2)

Fri Oct 29
GROUP PRESENTATION: Gender issues

WEEK TEN

Mon Nov 1
GROUP PRESENTATION: Sacred music
ASSIGNMENT DUE: Final version of group bibliography
PLEASE NOTE: Please bring enough copies of your group's bibliography to distribute to the entire class (22 copies)

Wed Nov 3
GROUP PRESENTATION: Madrigal and song

Fri Nov 5
NO CLASS TODAY

WEEK ELEVEN

Mon Nov 8
GROUP PRESENTATION: Opera and dramatic music (2)
ASSIGNMENT DUE: First version of paper
PLEASE NOTE: Please bring enough copies of your paper for the other members of your group, in addition to the copy you will turn in.

Wed Nov 10
PEER REVIEW OF PAPERS

Fri Nov 12
Individual presentations begin today and run to the last day of class
(Schedule to be announced)

AND ONE MORE DEADLINE:

WEEK FIFTEEN

Mon Dec 6
TBA
ASSIGNMENT DUE: Final version of paper