Giovanni Domenico da Nola
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Domenico da Nola (also Nolla) (ca. 1510-20 - May 1592) was an Italian composer and poet of the Renaissance
.
He was born in the town of Nola
, Italy. He was a founding member of the Accademia dei Sereni in 1546-47, where he knew Luigi Dentice
and Marchese della Terza, who was a patron of Orlando di Lasso. Nola was appointed maestro di cappella at the SS Annunziata in Naples
on February 1, 1563, a position he held up to his death 29 years later. He also taught singing to the women of the ospedali at the Annunziata and to seminary
deacons.
Nola's first publication consisted of two books of Canzoni villanesche in 1541, which contained 31 villanescas and 11 mascheratas. They were held in high esteem by Nola's contemporaries; arrangements of these works were made by Lasso, Hubert Waelrant
, Adrian Willaert
, Baldassare Donato
, Perissone Cambio
, and Antonio Scandello
. Lyrically, the works are often humorous and draw on local dialects and sayings; musically, the works make skillful use of imitation
and intentional parallel fifths.
Nola published a book of madrigal
s in 1545; of the 29 works in the book, 22 are settings of Petrarch
, including one madrigal, six canzoni
and fifteen sonnet
s. The works show a balance of imitative and homophonic textures, and make use of strategic accidental
s to heighten musical tension. Nola often uses the note nere
style common in his day. He later published a second book of madrigals for five voices; two further books of madrigals have been lost. Nola also contributed madrigals to anthologies, and some of his poems were published without music.
The entire corpus of Nola's surviving works was edited by L. Cammarota and published in 1973.
Secular
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 born in the town of Nola
Nola
Nola is a city and comune of Campania, southern Italy, in the province of Naples, situated in the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines...
, Italy. He was a founding member of the Accademia dei Sereni in 1546-47, where he knew Luigi Dentice
Luigi Dentice
Luigi Dentice was an Italian composer, musical theorist, singer and lutenist who served the powerful Sanseverino family, and was father of Fabrizio Dentice , also a composer and lutenist. He was grandfather of Scipione Dentice .Dentice came from a noble family. When his father died in 1561 he...
and Marchese della Terza, who was a patron of Orlando di Lasso. Nola was appointed maestro di cappella at the SS Annunziata in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on February 1, 1563, a position he held up to his death 29 years later. He also taught singing to the women of the ospedali at the Annunziata and to seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
deacons.
Nola's first publication consisted of two books of Canzoni villanesche in 1541, which contained 31 villanescas and 11 mascheratas. They were held in high esteem by Nola's contemporaries; arrangements of these works were made by Lasso, Hubert Waelrant
Hubert Waelrant
Hubert Waelrant was a Flemish composer, teacher, and music editor of the Renaissance...
, Adrian Willaert
Adrian Willaert
Adrian Willaert was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance and founder of the Venetian School. He was one of the most representative members of the generation of northern composers who moved to Italy and transplanted the polyphonic Franco-Flemish style there....
, Baldassare Donato
Baldassare Donato
Baldassare Donato was an Italian composer and singer of the Venetian school of the late Renaissance. He was maestro di cappella of the prestigious St...
, Perissone Cambio
Perissone Cambio
Perissone Cambio was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of the Renaissance, active in Venice. He was one of the most prominent students and colleagues of Adrian Willaert during the formative years of the Venetian School, and published several books of madrigals in the 1540s.-Life:Nothing is...
, and Antonio Scandello
Antonio Scandello
Antonio Scandello was an Italian composer, born in Bergamo. He worked as musician at the court of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden. In 1549 he became court-bandmaster, and in 1568 Kapellmeister...
. Lyrically, the works are often humorous and draw on local dialects and sayings; musically, the works make skillful use of imitation
Imitation (music)
In music, imitation is when a melody in a polyphonic texture is repeated shortly after its first appearance in a different voice, usually at a different pitch. The melody may vary through transposition, inversion, or otherwise, but retain its original character...
and intentional parallel fifths.
Nola published a book of 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 in 1545; of the 29 works in the book, 22 are settings of Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
, including one madrigal, six canzoni
Canzone
Literally "song" in Italian, a canzone is an Italian or Provençal song or ballad. It is also used to describe a type of lyric which resembles a madrigal...
and fifteen sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
s. The works show a balance of imitative and homophonic textures, and make use of strategic accidental
Accidental
Accidental may mean:* Accidental * Accidental , by Fred Frith* Accidental , a biological phenomenon more commonly known as vagrancy* Accidental property, a philosophical term-See also:* Accident...
s to heighten musical tension. Nola often uses the note nere
Note nere
Note nere was a style of madrigal composition, which used shorter note values than usual and had more black note-heads.The style was introduced around 1540, and had a short vogue among composers publishing in Venice including Costanzo Festa, Giaches de Wert, Cipriano di Rore and many minor...
style common in his day. He later published a second book of madrigals for five voices; two further books of madrigals have been lost. Nola also contributed madrigals to anthologies, and some of his poems were published without music.
The entire corpus of Nola's surviving works was edited by L. Cammarota and published in 1973.
Works
Sacred- Liber primus motectorum (Venice, 1549, 5 voices) - survives incomplete
- Cantiones vulgo motecta appellatae (Venice, 1575, 6 voices) - lost
Secular
- Canzoni villanesche (Venice, 1541) - only surviving copy in a Polish library
- Madrigali (Venice, 1545, 4 voices)
- Il secondo libro de madrigali (Rome, 1564, 5 voices) - survives incomplete
- Il primo libro delle villanelle alla napolitana (Venice, 1567, 3 and 4 voices)
- Il quarto libro di madrigali (5 and 6 voices) - lost
- 5 napolitane, three intabulatedIntabulationIntabulation, from the Italian word intavolatura, refers to an arrangement of a vocal or ensemble piece for keyboard, lute, or other plucked string instrument, written in tablature. It was a common practice in 14th-16th century keyboard and lute music...
for luteLuteLute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes.... - 15 madrigals published or copied elsewhere