Dear Italianists
I'm looking for some help in translating a sonnet set by Marc'Antonio
Ingegneri. I've struggled with it for some months now with help from
various other scholars of Italian music, and still can't quite make
sense of the end. I wonder if someone would be so good as to enlighten
me?
The text describes a performance by the Modenese singer/poet Tarquinia
Molza (as revealed by the puns on her name and the location on the
Secchia river). There is a possibility that it is by Francesco Pigna,
but I can't prove this. As you can see, it is a loose parody of the
Petrarch sonnet she's supposed to be performing. All punctuation is
mine but the orthography is straight from the partbook:
'Hor che ‘l ciel et la terra e ‘l vento tace,'
incomincio colei che l’aria molce
con angelici accenti, e in lingua dolce
rischiara secchia con la tosca face.
Sentiam gli spirti altrui beata pace;
tutto l’amar si trammutava in dolce.
E giva al ciel (che piu l’alma soffolce)
mio cor, che via da lei morendo giace.
Che poi se i moti de suoi tersi avori,
de’ vaghi lumi e del leggiadro viso,
l’occhio vedea ch’or vana vista intrica;
che poi s’un dì mi spiega bei tesori,
o del nome Tiran degn’et nemica,
o qua giu cieli aperti, o paradiso.
[Ingegneri, Secondo libro a 5, 1572]
Is there anyone out there who'd be generous enough to help?
Many thanks
--
Dr Laurie Stras
Lecturer in Performance Studies
Department of Music
The University
Highfield
Southampton SO17 1BJ
Tel: +44 1703 593425
Fax: +44 1703 593197
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