talian secular
drama, the "Orfeo" of Poliziano, unquestionably a lyric work, is the
result of some years of labor. The author believes that what he has to
offer on this topic will be found to possess historical value. The
subsequent development of the lyric drama under the combined influences
of polyphonic secular composition and the growing Italian taste for
luxurious spectacle has been narrated at some length, because the author
believes that the reformatory movement of the Florentines was the
outcome of dissatisfaction with musical conditions brought about as much
by indulgence of the appetite for the purely sensuous elements in music
as by blind adherence to the restrictive laws of ecclesiastic
counterpoint.

With the advent of dramatic recitative the work ends. The history of
seventeenth-century opera, interesting as it is, does not belong to the
subject especially treated in this volume. The authorities consulted
will be named from time to time in the pages of the book.

CONTENTS

Chapter Page
I. The Early Liturgical Drama 1
II. The Sacre Rappresentazioni 21
III. Birthplace of the Secular Drama 35
IV. The Artistic Impulse 53
V. Poliziano's "Favola di Orfeo" 68
VI. The Performance of "Orfeo" 85
VII. Character of the Music 98
VIII. The Solos of the "Orfeo" 117
IX. The Orchestra of the "Orfeo" 136
X. From Frottola Drama to Madrigal 147
XI. The Predominance of the Spectacular 160
XII. Influence of the Taste for Comedy 179
XIII. Vecchi and the Matured Madrigal Drama 190
XIV. The Spectacular Element in Music 207
XV. The Medium for Individual Utterance 220
Index 237

SOME FORERUNNERS OF ITALIAN OPERA

CHAPTER I

The Early Liturgical Drama

The modern entertainment called opera is a child of the Roman Catholic
Church. What might be described as operatic tendencies in the music of
worship date further back than the foundation of Christianity. The
Egyptians were accustomed to sing "jubilations" to their gods, and these
consisted of florid cadences on prol