In morte d’una sua figliuola:
literary and musical images of grief in a 16th century music book.
Giandomenico Martoretta was a Calabrian composer born in Mileto around 1515. He
probably learnt contrapuntal techniques from the flemish composer Ian Gero in Bisignano
(Pitarresi 2003) and published three books of madrigals in Venice (1548, 1552 and 1554)
during his lifetime. Several elements point to the fact that this composer was extremely
valued by his contemporaries: his composition, O fortunato Augello, was included in
Arcadelt’s fifth book, his second book is self-dedicated and his name appears in the Libraria
del Doni ( 1550) among the most famous musicians of his age. The last known work is a
collection of motets printed in 1566. He spent the last years of his life in Mileto, but we do
not know the exact date of his death.
If we exclude the pioneering work of Maria Antonella Balsano (Balsano 1981, 1988, 1995,
2011, 2012), only a handful of articles and book chapters have dealt up until today about
Martoretta and still no monographic study about him has appeared. A broader research
focusing exclusively on this composer would thus fill in a gap left in the academic research
about the diffusion of the madrigal in the southernmost part of Italy, and specially in
Calabria, a place that has been almost forgotten by musicology and literary studies.
Nevertheless, the relevance of this composer for the culture of his age clearly shows how
people and places that were considered marginal or peripheral from academic research need
to be reassessed in order to gain a deeper understanding of Renaissance culture.
Topic statement
The first book of Madrigals a quattro voce, of which we possess only two parts (cantus,
Bologna, Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica T.58 and tenor, Kraków, Biblioteka
Jagiellońska Mus. ant. pract. L 48) is characterised by the preeminence of texts drawn from
Ariosto (17 out of 33 texts are taken from or related to the Orlando Furioso, that was first
published in 1516). It also contains verses by Petrarch and Cassola as well as poets connected
to a Neapolitan environment such as Luigi Tansillo and Dianora Sanseverino.
Furioso’ s octaves are organised in cycles within Martoretta’s collection according to a
thematic link or to textual continuity within Ariosto’s poem (see Balsano, 1988).
Among these groups of compositions, the cycle dedicated to Don Rodorico de Mendochza in
morte d’una sua figliuola s tands out for a number of reasons: It has a separate heading in the
index (see appendix 1), it contains the name of the dedicatee (the only one appearing in the
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collection along with Francesco Moncada, to whom the whole book is dedicated), it is based
on the same octave of the Orlando Furioso ( 76, canto VIII) that is reworked in a variety of
ways following a common practice of the time, that of tramutazioni (see Lucini 2020).
Finally, the narrative organisation of this cycle can be interpreted as a mise en scène of
Rodorico’s grief: an epitaph in poetry and music complementing the inscription on his
daughter Angela Maria’s tombstone, still to be seen in the church of Santa Caterina a
Formiello in Naples (see appendix 1). In fact, it is Rodorico himself speaking through
Martoretta’s words and music, thus allowing us to explore a complex web of cross references
between Ariosto’s narrative, Martoretta’s reworking of the Orlando Furioso and the implied
voice of Rodorico. In order to correctly interpret this work, it is therefore vital to understand
the book as a multi-layered object, a sort of hypertext concealing in itself a convoluted net of
social relationships, material culture, social conventions, literature and music.
Research aims/objectives
The cycle is constituted of five compositions (see appendix 2 for the texts), related to
Orlando Furioso’s octaves n. 76 and 77 of canto VIII (with the only exception of the second
madrigal). The original octave written by Ariosto describes Orlando’s affliction for the loss
of Angelica. Martoretta uses octave 76 as a generative force for developing the texts used in
the cycle.
The main purpose of this research is to understand how this narrative, almost theatrical
construction made by Martoretta, corresponds to a real life event that is Angela Maria’s loss
and to consider how it entwines the social and cultural context of the time. This general aim
is to be declined into a number of more specific research questions that will explore
Martoretta’s book through a multidisciplinary approach.
The first aspect to be taken into consideration is the book itself as a material object: this
analysis will aim at understanding how Rodorico’s cycle is signaled in the editorial aspect of
the text and examine the significance of book ownership in Renaissance culture, both in a
literal and in a metaphorical sense, through the “economy of dedication” (Chartier, 2010) that
the Calabrian composer put in place. Dedications are in fact a very important aspect in
Martoretta’s publications. Through this inquiry I will try to show the social context around
Martoretta’s book in order to set Rodorico and his daughter within a specific social
environment. This investigation will provide a solid background allowing the emergence of
hypotheses about the meaning of the cycle’s insertion in this book.
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A second aim will be to clarify Martoretta’s textual choices by placing them in the general
cultural context of the time. Therefore, I will take into consideration the tramutazioni, i.e. the
practice of reworking Orlando Furioso’s texts, to better understand how the composer used
these techniques in his collection. I will also deal with the literary images of death and grief
used in the Renaissance. This contextualization is functional to a closer analysis of
Martoretta’s lyrics in order to ascertain how the texts used conform to or divert from a
preexisting literary tradition along with evidencing inter-textual relationships both inside and
outside the book.
From a musical perspective, the main aim will be to understand the specific role played by
music in telling the stories narrated in the cycle, as well as how it is used to enhance or
elucidate the text as poetry (Donnelly 2009, see also Perlini 2002). The compound of music
and poetic texts in fact conveyed discursive meanings, “each component contributing to
semantic communication” (Calcagno 2012). A further aim will be to gain a better
understanding of the compositional style of Martoretta regarding both musical aspects as well
as text setting. Finally, I will try to elicit stylistic similarities and differences by comparing
selected madrigals by the Calabrian composer with other composers of the time.
The last area of research will be dealing with the performative aspect of the madrigals, in
order to critically assess current hypotheses about how these pieces were actually
represented. The cycle dedicated to Rodorico Mendoza triggers a number of research
questions: First and foremost, one could wonder if the cycle was ever meant to be staged or
if it has to be considered as a musical epitaph, as such intended to be read, rather than
performed. Secondly, if the allusion to the performance of Deh, dove senza me dolce mia vita
contained in the madrigal 26 (see appendix 2) refers to a real situation or if it is rather a
literary image. Finally, if the actual performance could contribute in creating meaning (e.g.
through gestures, acting, embellishment and diminution of the music etc.) and how the spaces
in which the music was performed were conceived.
Theoretical framework and methodological approach
The investigation of such an articulated research object requires a comprehensive approach
to musical phenomena: the concept of musicking (Small 1998) encompasses a multitude of
facets implied by a musical text such as Martoretta’s. This basic theoretical assumption
implies interdisciplinarity as its consequence from a methodological point of view. It is thus
necessary to integrate into musicological analysis methods and techniques from other fields
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of study (in our case mainly textual, literary and cultural studies) in order to explore music
within a wider range of disciplinary and transcultural contexts.
Regarding specifically the research objectives delineated above, the first part of the inquiry
will be devoted to analyzing the book as an object. As D.F. McKenzie points out, “forms
effect meaning” (McKenzie 2004), it is therefore necessary to carefully scrutinize the
surviving specimens through the lens of textual studies in order to gain a deeper
understanding of how music is visually presented to the reader and/or the performer. This
analysis is particularly important for this kind of editions: printers, editors and book-sellers in
fact, materially “made the books upon which authorship depended” (Van Orden 2014): in this
sense it is vital to evaluate how editorial work impacts upon authorship in order to explain the
way in which the cycle to Rodorico Mendoza is presented in the book. This investigation will
be performed through a bibliographic research upon the printing process in early 16th century
Italy, specially regarding the activity of Hyeronimo Scotto and by comparing coeval
publications of the same editor with Martoretta’s first book of madrigals (a great number of
Scotto’s music prints are publicly available as fac-similes).
Another aspect that will be taken into consideration is book ownership. Firstly, I will try to
understand what owning and using partbooks meant to 16th century people thanks to what
McKenzie calls “sociology of texts”, i.e. the analysis of the interaction between text and
society considered as a source for cultural history. This bibliographical and iconographical
research will constitute the background for a more specific analysis of the dedications, that I
interpret as a form of metaphorical ownership: Martoretta himself, in the dedication to
Francesco Mendoza refers to his madrigals as doni (gifts) that he humbly presents to the
count’s benevolence, thus signaling a transfer of ownership from the author to the dedicatee.
Dedications are also useful to reconstruct the social environment gravitating around
Martoretta’s book: through the analysis of the system of dedications that the composer put in
place in his books, it is possible to reconstruct part of his social network during the early
stages of his career. This investigation, that I will perform through an archival research (see
appendix 3) could shed light upon the relationship between Francesco Moncada (dedicatee of
the book) and Rodorico Mendoza.
The second part of the research will be devoted to investigating the texts contained in the first
book. As said, the book is characterised by a massive presence of Ariosto. Understanding the
use of the Orlando Furioso, will allow us to set the texts within Rodorico’s cycle into the
general cultural context of the time and enucleate the original traits of Ariosto’s reworking by
Martoretta. The texts will be analysed through close readings and by comparing them to other
4
tramutazioni of Ariosto. This inquiry will be followed by a cultural historical investigation of
the theme of death. More specifically, this part of the research will lead to a general overview
of the representation of death within the cultural environment of the 16th century kingdom of
Naples.
Concerning musical aspects, although the altus and bassus p artbooks are missing it is
nevertheless possible to study some features of Martoretta’s compositions: Firstly, through a
close reading of the surviving cantus part it will be possible to identify the rhetorical devices
used by Martoretta in the main melodic line. Although early modern polyphony bestows
equal importance to all parts, nevertheless it was a common habit to intabulate the parts for
voice and lute with the cantus as sung part. If this is true, considering the fact that Martoretta
hints indirectly at this kind of practice in the madrigal n. 26 it is plausible to think that
musical rhetorical devices were used to interact with the poetic text in this part. This is
particularly important in order to see how the expressive characteristics of the poetic text are
enhanced by the musical setting. Along these lines, I will try to ascertain if there are traces of
improvisatory practices, which is a quite common feature in music based on the Orlando
Furioso (see Agamennone 2016 and Balsano 1981). Finally, I will try to enucleate the
relationships between Martoretta and other composers of the time through a comparative
analysis.
The last aspect to be taken into consideration, although very important, is the performance
practice connected to the representation of the madrigals. Through a bibliographical research
I will collect information about how madrigals were actually performed and compare these
information with the inventories of musical instruments found both in Moncada and Alarcon
y Mendoza families. I will also investigate, through an archival research, the places that
hosted the courts of Moncada’s family in Caltanissetta (former Palazzo Moncada),
Sanseverino in Corigliano (Tenuta San Mauro and Castello di Corigliano), Alarcon y
Mendoza in Naples (Palazzo Caravita di Sirignano in Chiaia, former residence of the
Mendozas and Castel Capuano which hosted, at least until 1535, a camera della musica;
Rodrigo Mendoza was a reggente o f the Vicaria court there in 1541. The castle is also very
close to Santa Caterina a Formiello where Angela Maria is buried). Through this analysis it
will be possible to gain a deeper understanding of the modalities of representation of
Madrigals in Martoretta’s social milieu.
This variety of methodologies contribute to developing a comprehensive understanding of the
cycle and its social/cultural value. Through the cultural historical analysis of the book and its
dedications it will be possible to understand the meaning of the act of writing and offering the
5
cycle made by the composer as well as gaining an understanding of the social milieu in which
this act was performed. This analysis will serve as a background to compare the social
practices connected to death to the literary and musical images used by Martoretta in his
musical/poetical text. Finally, reflecting upon the modalities of representation of the
madrigals, will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the performance as a way of
enhancing the significance of the text and investigate its meaning for the receivers, thus
granting the possibility of interpreting in its full complexity a phenomenon like the
renaissance madrigal (see appendix 4 for an outline of the research).
Overview of the scholarly literature
Scholarly work about Martoretta, and more generally about polyphonic music in Southern
Italy has been quite limited. The most recent contributions to the study of the Calabrian
composer consist in a book chapter (Papacostas 2020), a paper given at the 2019 MedRen
conference (Donnelly 2019) and an article (Pecoraro 2012). They all deal with the third book
of madrigals and specifically with Martoretta’s connections to a number of personalities of
the Venetian Stato da Mar through the study of dedications. Hence, while it is true that
recently the interest around this composer has been revived, still no comprehensive research
on Martoretta is available to scholars interested in the study of the madrigal in southern Italy,
and specially Calabria. As said, this region has been almost completely overlooked by
musicological research. Some studies have been published in the 1990’s (see for example
Borsetta and Pugliese 1999, Macchiarella 1995, Ferraro and Pugliese 1993) but recent
contributions to the knowledge of the musical activities in this region during the Renaissance
are still absent. By undertaking a study like the one I am proposing, a substantial gap in the
research will be filled in: firstly, it would contribute to the reassessing of a composer that was
quite important in his times but seemingly neglected by current research; secondly, it would
add valuable information to the understanding of the diffusion of a central musical genre of
the Renaissance in Southern Italy; Finally, a study involving the analysis of the social context
in which Martoretta operated and specifically some relatively unknown courts could
contribute to a deeper knowledge of the general cultural environment of some areas that are
considered peripheral with respect to the acknowledged centers of the Italian Renaissance.
Along with Alarcon y Mendoza court in Naples in fact, I will take into consideration other
Calabrian and Sicilian courts such as Moncadas’, Sanseverinos’ and Carafas’.
From a theoretical perspective, the latest trends in musicology (for an overview see Leach et
al. 2015) show how the attention of musicological research shifted towards themes that were
6
considered marginal by Academia up until recent times: these include the study of
improvisational techniques, the relationship between oral and written music traditions,
performer-oriented studies and analyses of the relationship between musical style and its
material context. Also, scholarly research started to take into consideration local musical
traditions and places that were usually considered peripheral in comparison to the
acknowledged musical centers of 16th century Europe, e.g. the New World or German
speaking countries with respect to vocal music. The proposed research, by using a
multi-disciplinary approach to Martoretta’s book sets within the latest musicological debate
and is suitable to deliver a relevant contribution to several areas of research.
Chapter outline
The book will be divided into four chapters.
The first will deal with the book as an object: it will also contain an analysis of the social
context around Martoretta’s cycle as well as a cultural historical investigation of the meaning
of death in the 16th century.
In the second chapter, the literary aspect of the cycle will be taken into consideration in order
to evaluate how the texts chosen by Martoretta relate to other texts both outside the book (e.g.
Orlando Furioso) and inside it.
The third chapter will deal extensively with musical aspects: relationships to improvisatory
practices, musical rhetorical devices and compositional style of Martoretta will be closely
scrutinized.
The fourth and last chapter will carry out an investigation about the performance practice of
the madrigals, including an analysis of the places in which they were staged.
7
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1983. Vibo Valentia: Istituto di bibliografia musicale calabrese, 1993.
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conservatorio Francesco Cilea, 2003, I, pp.47-84.
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music scores
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Stampato Et Posto in Luce. Venetijs: Gardane, 1544.
Festa, Costanzo. Di Constantio Festa il primo libro de madrigali a tre voci, con la gionta de
quaranta madrigali di Ihan Gero, novamente ristampato, et da molti errori emendato.
enetijs: Gardane, 1541.
Aggiuntovi similmente trenta canzoni francese di Ianequin. V
Lupacchino, Bernardino. Madrigali a Quatro Voci. Venetiis: Scotto, 1543.
Martoretta, Giandomenico. Li Madrigali a Quattro Voce: Da Lui Novamente Composti Et
Con Diligentia Stampati. Venetiis: Scotto, 1548.
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Martoretta G. Del Martoretta Il Terzo Libro Di Madrigali a Quattro Voci, Con Cinque
Madrigali Del Primo Libro Da Lui Nouamente Corretti, Et Dati in Luce, Col Titolo Di
Coloro Per Cui Li Ha Composti. a Qvatro Voci. Venetjis: Gardane, 1554.
Martoretta, Giandomenico. Il Secondo Libro Di Madrigali Cromatici a Quattro Voci.
Venezia: A. Gardano, 1552.
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Tum Viva Voce, Tum Musicis Instrumentis, Modulatu Commodissimae, Omnium Que
Suavissimae, Liber Primus. Venetijs: Gardanuum, 1566.
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Appendix 1: frontispiece and index of Martoretta’s first book of madrigals
Epitaph of Angela Maria Mendoza, church of Santa Caterina a Formiello, Naples:
Rodoricus Mendotiae Angelae Mariae filiae carissimae, cuius nuptiarum spem praematuro
funere finivit eius superstes ipse cuius parentalia expectabat ea. Vixit ann. VII
M.D.XV.IIII
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Appendix 2: literary texts
Deh dove senza me dolce mia vita (1st book n.1; Ti piangon’ogni tempo gli occhi miei
3rd book n. 19 al virtuoso signor Giangiacomo Et ciò che gli fea lieti oggi gl’attrista
Mezzatesta di Tropea)
Dove speranza mia dov’ora sei (1st book. n.25)
Deh, dove senza me, dolce mia vita,
Rimasa sei sí giovane e sí bella? Dove speranza mia dov’ora sei
Come, poi che la luce è dipartita, Sei tornata nel ciel che t’aspettava
Riman tra’ boschi la smarrita agnella, Sei tornata nel ciel che ti chiamava
Che dal pastor sperando essere udita, Lasciand’ignuda quella terra sola
Si va lagnando in questa parte e in quella; Ch’adornarsi di te lieta sperava
Tanto che ’l lupo l’ode da lontano, Dopo la morte tua non mi consola
E ’l misero pastor ne piagne invano. Cosa ch’io veda o senta in quella vita
Se non quella dolcissima parola
Deh dove senza me dolce mia vita (1st book n.
23) Deh dove senza me (1st book n. 26)
Deh dove senza me dolce mia vita Deh dove senza me dolce mia vita
Andata sei si pargolett’e bella Andata sei parole che sovente
Qual’angelo del mondo t’ha rapita Cantasti meco tu dolce mia vita
Poiche’l sol parte e da luce a la stella Parole che cantar si dolcemente
Non così sola sconsolat’et mesta Solevi figlia al suon de la mia cetra
Riman tra’ boschi la smarrita agnella Che l’empia morte dovea far clemente
Ne così per l’ombros’ampia foresta S’orecchi e’l petto non avea di pietra
sperando dal pastor esser’intesa Doveva morte ai tuoi dolci concenti
Si va lagnando in quella part’e ‘n questa Gittar la falce, l’arco e la faretra
Ne tanto se da lupo ella vien presa
Il misero pastor la piang’invano Figlia poiché dal ciel (1st book n.27)
Visto che muov’indarno ogni difesa
Figlia poi che dal ciel mi ved’et senti
Come poi ch’in te figlia (1st book n.24) Et legg’in front’a Dio tutto il mio core
Movi pietosa ai miei duri lamenti
Come poi ch’in te figlia Priegha la suso il tuo et il mio fattore
Pose mano morte crudel Che mi mandi dal cielo qualche aita
Restò tua madre trista Si che non grid’in terra a tutte l’hore
Et ti sospira et chiama di lontano Deh dove senza me dolce mia vita
Et come privi di tua dolce vista
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Appendix 3: archival sources
Francesco Moncada (dedicatee of the 1st book of madrigals) and his family
(dedicatees of various madrigals of the 2nd book) :
- Archivio privato dei principi Moncada di Paternò Archivio di Stato (Palermo)
- Archivio storico del Comune di Caltanissetta
Rodrigo Mendoza y Alarcon (dedicatee of the cycle contained in the 1st book):
- Archivio di Stato Napoli, Archivio Caracciolo di Torella
- Napoli, archivi del Consiglio collaterale e delle Segreterie dei viceré
- Archivio di Stato Cosenza
Eleonora Sanseverino (Author of an octave contained in the first book of
madrigals, wife of Fernando Mendoza y Alarcon, Rodorico’s brother)
- Archivio di Stato Napoli, fondo Sanseverino di Bisignano
- Archivio di Stato Napoli, fondo della Sommaria
- Archivio diocesano di Cosenza-Bisignano
- Archivio di stato di Cosenza
Giangiacomo Mezzatesta (dedicatee of a madrigal of the 1st book reprinted in
the 3rd book, probably related to the Mezzatesta family of Seminara):
- Archivio storico di Reggio Calabria
- Archivio storico diocesano di Mileto
- Archivio di stato di Vibo Valentia
Cristoforo La Rocca (dedicatee of a madrigal of the 1st book reprinted in the 3rd
book)
- Archivio di stato Messina
Alfonso Caraffa (dedicatee of a madrigal of the 1st book reprinted in the 3rd
book, probably related to Ettore Carafa, that had a court in Filogaso)
- Archivio di stato di Vibo Valentia
- Archivio di stato di Catanzaro
Niccolao Rossillo (dedicatee of a madrigal of the 1st book reprinted in the 3rd
book)
- Archivio di Stato Catanzaro
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Appendix 4: research outline
In morte d’una sua figliuola:
literary and musical images of grief in a 16th century music book.
1. The composer and his dedicatees: defining an object, reconstructing a context.
● 1.1 Giandomenico Martoretta: life, publications and career of a 16th century
Calabrian composer
● 1.2 Musical print in the 16th century: social implications of a musical object
● 1.3 The composer and his dedicatees: reconstructing Martoretta’s social network
through his dedications
● 1.4 The broken lute string: dealing with premature death in the 16th century.
2. Textual displacements: From Ariosto to Martoretta, from Martoretta to
Rodorico.
● 2.1 Martoretta’s first book of madrigals: textual choices and poetic style
● 2.2 Ariosto’s tramutazioni in the context of 16th century literature: the text as pretext
● 2.3 The theme of death in early modern italian literature
● 2.4 Martoretta’s cycle to Rodorico Mendoza for the death of Angela Maria:
intertextual relationships and interpretation
3. Musical rhetoric: transforming grief into music.
● 3.1 Music as text criticism: musical rhetoric in the 16th century madrigal tradition
● 3.2 Musical setting of the Orlando Furioso: b etween orality and literacy
● 3.3 Martoretta’s compositional style: comparative analysis of selected madrigals
● 3.4 Temptative reconstruction of the missing part of the cycle
4. From the page to the stage: performing grief in a courtly environment
● 4.1 Al suon della mia cetra: considerations on the performance practice of the 16th
century madrigal
● 4.2 Voices and instruments: music instruments in Martoretta’s patrons inventories
● 4.3 The place of music: musical spaces in southern italians renaissance courts
● 4.4 the madrigal as theatrical representation
Conclusions
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