Alfonso dalla Viola
Encyclopedia
Alfonso dalla Viola (c. 1508 – c. 1573) was an Italian composer and instrumentalist of the Renaissance
. He was the principal composer at the Este court in Ferrara
for about four decades in the middle sixteenth century, and was renowned as a player of several instruments, including the viola d'arco. While much of his incidental music
, composed for court entertainments, is lost, several books of his madrigal
s have survived. His position as court composer in Ferrara paralleled that of Francesco Corteccia
in the competing city of Florence
.
Alfonso was one of a large family of musicians active at the court of Ferrara, including Andrea and his brother Zampaulo dalla Viola, active from the 1470s to shortly after 1500; Agostino, son of Andrea, a singer and instrumentalist who is documented from around 1497 to 1522; and the younger Alfonso and Francesco, whose exact relationship to the other three has not been firmly established.
Few details have emerged about Alfonso's early life. He was born in Ferrara, and his father may have been Agostino dalla Viola. If true, Alfonso was born out of wedlock. In 1528 he was already leading the Duke of Ferrara
's private musical establishment, the musica da camera segreta, presumably both as a performer and composer, and it was in this same year that he wrote music for the wedding festivities surrounding the marriage of Duke Ercole's son and Renata of Lorraine. Dalla Viola was to remain in the employ of the Este family for all of his long life, variously as a composer, performer, and coordinator of music for the plays performed at the court. As principal arranger of incidental music for plays, he served from around 1541 to 1567. While most of the music for these events has been lost, one intriguing fragment remains: a musical invocation by a priest to the god Pan, sung by a solo bass voice, and probably accompanied by chords on an instrument such as the lira da braccio
. If so, according to Alfred Einstein, it is the earliest known example of an accompanied recitative
in music.
Dalla Viola was the Estense analogue in Ferrara to Francesco Corteccia
, the leading musician to the Medici in Florence: both composed music for the sumptuous entertainments at their respective courts; both were early and prolific composers of madrigals; and both were succeeded, and overshadowed, by more famous musicians (Alessandro Striggio
in the case of Corteccia, and Cipriano de Rore
in the case of dalla Viola).
Dalla Viola died in Ferrara around 1573.
s by Dalla Viola survive, published in Ferrara in 1539 and 1540, containing 43 and 46 compositions, respectively. All madrigals in both volumes are for four voices. In addition to these publications, six of his madrigals appear in anthologies.
Some of his madrigals may have been written as early as the 1520s, although it is not known which of them are earliest, or even if those earliest have survived and been included in the 1539-40 printed editions. If they have, they would be among the earliest madrigals to be written outside of Florence and Rome, establishing Ferrara as another center of early madrigal composition, both of music and verse.
Dalla Viola's madrigal settings conform closely to the form of the texts, most of which are ballate
, and the musical texture is usually homophonic
, with chordal rather than imitative or solo openings to his madrigals. Some of his music is surprisingly chromatic, predating Rore by more than a decade, and his lines are attentive to text expression, and contain occasional word- or phrase-painting
.
While most of Dalla Viola's music for the plays at the Ferrara court, including incidental music for Giraldi Cinzio's Orbecche
(1541), Agostino Beccari's Il sacrificio (1554) (excepting one fragment), Alberto Lollio's Aretusa (1563), and Agostino Argenti's Lo sfortunato (1567), has been lost, some characteristics of this lost music have been inferred. Most of the music consisted of interpolated choruses, probably homophonic, within the acts, and the plays also would have included madrigals performed before and after the play, often on moralizing texts related to the action (the plays were tragedies and pastorals – in fact, Il sacrificio was labeled by Einstein as the earliest pastoral
known to literature). In that the music consisted of choruses and occasional madrigals, they resembled the work of Corteccia in Florence.
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
. He was the principal composer at the Este court in Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
for about four decades in the middle sixteenth century, and was renowned as a player of several instruments, including the viola d'arco. While much of his incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
, composed for court entertainments, is lost, several books of his madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
s have survived. His position as court composer in Ferrara paralleled that of Francesco Corteccia
Francesco Corteccia
Francesco Corteccia was an Italian composer, organist, and teacher of the Renaissance. Not only was he one of the best known of the early composers of madrigals, and an important native Italian composer during a period of domination by composers from the Low Countries, but he was the most...
in the competing city of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
Biography
Few details have emerged about Alfonso's early life. He was born in Ferrara, and his father may have been Agostino dalla Viola. If true, Alfonso was born out of wedlock. In 1528 he was already leading the Duke of Ferrara
Alfonso I d'Este
Alfonso d'Este was Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai.-Biography:He was the son of Ercole I d'Este and Leonora of Naples....
's private musical establishment, the musica da camera segreta, presumably both as a performer and composer, and it was in this same year that he wrote music for the wedding festivities surrounding the marriage of Duke Ercole's son and Renata of Lorraine. Dalla Viola was to remain in the employ of the Este family for all of his long life, variously as a composer, performer, and coordinator of music for the plays performed at the court. As principal arranger of incidental music for plays, he served from around 1541 to 1567. While most of the music for these events has been lost, one intriguing fragment remains: a musical invocation by a priest to the god Pan, sung by a solo bass voice, and probably accompanied by chords on an instrument such as the lira da braccio
Lira da braccio
The lira da braccio was a European bowed string instrument of the Renaissance. It was used by Italian poet-musicians in court in the 15th and 16th centuries to accompany their improvised recitations of lyric and narrative poetry. It is most closely related to the medieval fiddle, or vielle, and...
. If so, according to Alfred Einstein, it is the earliest known example of an accompanied recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
in music.
Dalla Viola was the Estense analogue in Ferrara to Francesco Corteccia
Francesco Corteccia
Francesco Corteccia was an Italian composer, organist, and teacher of the Renaissance. Not only was he one of the best known of the early composers of madrigals, and an important native Italian composer during a period of domination by composers from the Low Countries, but he was the most...
, the leading musician to the Medici in Florence: both composed music for the sumptuous entertainments at their respective courts; both were early and prolific composers of madrigals; and both were succeeded, and overshadowed, by more famous musicians (Alessandro Striggio
Alessandro Striggio
Alessandro Striggio was an Italian composer, instrumentalist and diplomat of the Renaissance. He composed numerous madrigals as well as dramatic music, and by combining the two, became the inventor of madrigal comedy...
in the case of Corteccia, and Cipriano de Rore
Cipriano de Rore
Cipriano de Rore was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in Italy...
in the case of dalla Viola).
Dalla Viola died in Ferrara around 1573.
Music
Two volumes of madrigalMadrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
s by Dalla Viola survive, published in Ferrara in 1539 and 1540, containing 43 and 46 compositions, respectively. All madrigals in both volumes are for four voices. In addition to these publications, six of his madrigals appear in anthologies.
Some of his madrigals may have been written as early as the 1520s, although it is not known which of them are earliest, or even if those earliest have survived and been included in the 1539-40 printed editions. If they have, they would be among the earliest madrigals to be written outside of Florence and Rome, establishing Ferrara as another center of early madrigal composition, both of music and verse.
Dalla Viola's madrigal settings conform closely to the form of the texts, most of which are ballate
Ballata
The ballata is an Italian poetic and musical form, which was in use from the late 13th to the 15th century. It has the musical structure AbbaA, with the first and last stanzas having the same texts. It is thus most similar to the French musical 'forme fixe' virelai...
, and the musical texture is usually homophonic
Homophony
In music, homophony is a texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony, the relationship between them creating chords. This is distinct from polyphony, in which parts move with rhythmic independence, and monophony, in which all parts move in parallel rhythm and pitch. A homophonic...
, with chordal rather than imitative or solo openings to his madrigals. Some of his music is surprisingly chromatic, predating Rore by more than a decade, and his lines are attentive to text expression, and contain occasional word- or phrase-painting
Word painting
Word painting is the musical technique of writing music that reflects the literal meaning of a song. For example, ascending scales would accompany lyrics about going up; slow, dark music would accompany lyrics about death.Tone painting of words goes at least as far back as Gregorian chant...
.
While most of Dalla Viola's music for the plays at the Ferrara court, including incidental music for Giraldi Cinzio's Orbecche
Orbecche
Orbecche is a tragedy written by Giovanni Battista Giraldi in 1541. It was the first modern tragedy written on classical principles, and along with Sperone Speroni's Canace, was responsible for a sixteenth-century theoretical debate on theater, especially with regards to decorum.It was produced in...
(1541), Agostino Beccari's Il sacrificio (1554) (excepting one fragment), Alberto Lollio's Aretusa (1563), and Agostino Argenti's Lo sfortunato (1567), has been lost, some characteristics of this lost music have been inferred. Most of the music consisted of interpolated choruses, probably homophonic, within the acts, and the plays also would have included madrigals performed before and after the play, often on moralizing texts related to the action (the plays were tragedies and pastorals – in fact, Il sacrificio was labeled by Einstein as the earliest pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
known to literature). In that the music consisted of choruses and occasional madrigals, they resembled the work of Corteccia in Florence.