heiBOOKS

The sonnet is considered one of the most enduring forms of European poetry. Throughout its almost 800-year history, it has not only challenged the artistic exploration and experimentation of poets, but also of composers. Whilst offering a range of creative possibilities for composers when setting a sonnet to music, they also faced problems when dealing with the asymmetrical stanza form of the text. This book concentrates on Italian sonnets from Francesco Petrarca to Giambattista Marino, which became popular text sources for the frottola, the madrigal and accompanied solo song in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.