The Chamber Cantatas of Antonio Vivaldi

Vivaldi's chamber cantatas for solo voice, some forty in total, are steadily gaining in popularity: but because of their relatively small place in the oeuvre of a composer famed for his productivity, and also on account of the general scholarly neglect of their genre, they are little discussed in the literature. This book comprehensively explores their literary and musical background, their relation to the composer's biography, the chronology of their composition, and their musical qualities. Each cantata is discussed individually, but there is also a broader consideration of aspects concerning them collectively, such as performance practice, topical allusion, and the conventions of Italian verse. The author argues that while Vivalid's cantatas are not as innovative as his concertos and operas, he produced several masterpieces in the genre that rank with his best music.

CONTENIDO:

List of music examples
List of tables
Preface
Conventions and abbreviations

1. The Rediscovery of Vivaldi's Cantatas
-How contemporaries saw them
-How modern commentators have seen them
-Their modern revival

2. The Cantata Genre
-Its historical development
-Its literary nature
-Its musical nature

3. Vivaldi and the Voice
-The composer and the text
-Vivaldi as literary "bricoleur"
-The composer and the singer
-The composer and the accompaniment

4. The mantuan Cantatas
-Vivaldi's Mantuan episode
-The Mantuan court
-A mirror of court life
-Individual works

5. Cantatas of the Middle Years
-Vivaldi's "Blütezeit"
-Cantatas for all occasions
-Individual works

6. The Dresden Cantatas
-Vivaldi and Dresden
-The cantatas of the Dresden compilation
-Individual works
-Postscript: The spurious works

7. Vivaldi's Cantatas in Perspective
-The cantata within Vivaldi's oeuvre
-Approaches to performance

Glossary
List of Vivaldi's cantatas published in the New Critical Edition
Spurious works
Bibliography
INdex to musical works
General index