Letitia Glozer, Ph.D. 2006

Advisor: John Nádas

Dissertation Title: The Madrigal in Rome: Music in the Papal Orbit, 1534-1555

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Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation focuses on the Roman madrigal during the reigns of Paul III (Alessandro Farnese, r. 1534-49) and Julius III (Gian Maria del Monte, r. 1550-55). No study to date has detailed the gradual musical separation of Florence and Rome and the development of musical culture in the latter city during an era in which Arcadelt, Costanzo Festa, and Palestrina served in the papal chapels. Other musicians in Rome at the time include Giovanni Animuccia, Bernardo Lupacchino, Jacques du Pont, Nicol-Vicentino, and Orlando di Lasso. This is only a partial list of composers in and around Rome, but suggests the rich vein of material available. The dissertation will shed light on the gradual development of a Roman civic music culture, with its interlocking strands of papal and cardinalate patronage, the note nere and arioso madrigals, music printing, and academic music, all in the same city at the same time. Many of the seeds were in place before the 1550s, and by tracing their growth this study will better our understanding of Roman musical culture throughout this period as well as the preceding decades. 

Dr. Glozer is currently the managing editor of Technica Editorial Services, a company that works with small and mid-sized publishers to provide supplemental editorial support. She has also worked as a freelance editor and as the Senior Editorial Assistant to the journal Music Theory Spectrum.