STRINGS DAYS! LECTURE: Poetry and Music in the 17th Century: the Lirone and Its Practice in the Birth of the Opera
In a century of deep transformations in the musical universe, such as the invention of the opera, the burst of the melodies accompanied with the basso continuo, the lirone, also called lira da gamba among other names, takes a central place. An instrument associated with the poetry declamation, its playing technique and enveloping sound would fit perfectly to the 17th century musical universe, where composers such as Claudio Monteverdi or Alessandro Striggio would play it themselves and, as many others, would write music where the lirone would play a major role.
And yet, no or almost none music for lirone has survived to our days. How to retrieve its sound, how to reconstruct its influence on the way singers would sing and other instruments would play? The iconographic research, the studies of the testimonies of the contemporaries given in correspondence, descriptions and critical text, of the surviving instruments held in museums and endless questions regarding the instrument and its practice are at the core of lirone player’s activities in our days.
Some of it will be shared through this conference, with reflections, images, questions and music.
Host: Lucas Peres
Organizers
