GRANDS CONCERTS: LE POÈME HARMONIQUE / LAMENTATIONS

Born into a wealthy noble Roman family in 1550, Emilio de’ Cavalieri not only played an important role in the artistic life of Italy of the late 16th century, but also significantly influenced the course of the history of music. While remaining in the service of Ferdinand de’ Medici as manager of artistic events and organiser of court ceremonies, such as his patron’s wedding to Christina of Lorraine, he was responsible for their preparation and musical setting. Although, in view of his many interests and responsibilities, composing was only a peripheral part of Cavalieri’s activities and his output is relatively small, it is of fundamental importance for the history of music. In collaboration with the most brilliant artists and poets of the time, Cavalieri created, among others, pastoral dramas for the Florentine court (e.g. Aminta to Torquato Tasso’s text), thanks to which he made a name for himself as an influential and innovative composer. Moreover, he is even sometimes considered to be the creator of monody – on the basis of a humanist aesthetics emphasising individualism and the role of the individual, he replaced the polyphonic style with singing more similar to the natural expression of the human voice.