Marino's spiritual poems in music: a study of early modern sources

Thesis

Giambattista Marino (1569—1625) was recognized as the most significant Italian poet of the early seventeenth century, who left a remarkable contribution not only to literature but also in music through his lyric verses. While his influence on the contemporary vocal music—including that of Monteverdi—is widely recognized, his significant output in spiritual lyrics and their dissemination in a large number of musical sources has not been the subject of systematic study. This thesis is a first attempt at such an undertaking, exploring Marino’s spiritual poems thematically through comparative analysis of their musical settings. The first chapter offers an empirical overview of sources containing Marino’s spiritual lyrics and musical settings, tracing their dissemination and reception in the early-seventeenth century. The rest of the main chapters explore devotional songs based on Marino’s lyrics on themes of Seven Sorrows of Mary, Crown of Thorns, lives of saints and finally, joyful events in Jesus’s life. Music is considered in broader contexts of the early-seventeenth literature and devotional practices by bringing together scholarship from literature, musicology, theology, and cultural studies. This thesis treats songs based on Marino’s spiritual lyrics as part of devotional experiences, investigating how music facilitates such experience through ways in which it adapts Marino’s text. The conclusion summarizes a series of observations on the overall musical style of these songs, their common representation of certain literary topoi—such as the Neo-Platonic concept of spiritual Venus and Cupid—and the role of patronage in their inception.

Authors: Kobayashi, T

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-gobwxaj7o
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Subjects: Early modern, 1500-1700; Christian poetry, Italian; Music