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Dear Laurie, Just for further clarification: `aperti' means `opened' (past participle) and agrees here with `cieli'. To construe `aperti' as I suggest, it would have to be read as `apri' or `apristi' or understood to contain the idea of the woman who, revealing her `bei tesori' thereby reveals either an enemy or a paradise. Paul On Mon, 29 Dec 1997 19:22:02 +0000 (GMT Standard Time) PAUL DIFFLEY <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Dear Laurie, > > > > A couple of points to add to the interesting correspondence > > you have already received: > > > > 1. The final tercet is almost certainly based on an > > `either'/`or' construction, as suggested by Giovanni > > Carsaniga, and `aperti' is best construed as an active > > verb: `So, if one day she reveals beautiful treasures to > > me/either she is an enemy, worthy of the name Tyrant,/ or > > she opens up [`aperti'] Heaven or paradise here below [on > > Earth]'. The idea of Heaven on Earth revealed by the `donna > > angelicata' is in Petrarch, Canzoniere , no. 292 (`Gli > > occhi di ch'io parlai...). The dichotomy in the sonnet > > under discussion perhaps results from the conflict implicit > > in the two names of Tarquinia Molza, the first suggesting > > Tyrant and enemy, the second suggesting softness: hence the > > rather odd ending of the poem (??). The final `either/or' is > > not uncommon in this position in sonnets, eg. Gaspara > > Stampa, `O non fia, lassa, mai, o saran bianchi/ questi > > crin prima...' (in L. Baldacci, Lirici del Cinquecento > > ((Milan; LOnganesi, 1975), p.89; cf. ibid., Tullia > > d'Aragona, p.260: `Ma io, s'avvien che perda il mio bel > > sole,/ o per mia colpa, o per malvagia sorte, ...'), and > > far more famously Lorenzo de' Medici in the sonnet `O sonno > > placidissimo...' with its final tercet: `Se cosi' me la > > mostri, o sia eterno/ il nostro sonno, o questi sonni > > lieti,/ lasso, non passin per l'eburnea porta' [ie. let me > > dream of my beloved, and if the dream sleep is not eternal > > then let it not be illusory]. > > > > 2. You have probably already consulted `The New Vogel', > > namely E. Vogel, A. Einstein, F. Lesure, C. Sartori, > > `Bibliografia della musica italiana vocale profana > > pubblicata dal 1500 al 1700'(Pomezia, 1977), in 3 vols. The > > third vol has an index (amongst others) of `incipits' of all > > texts set. It might be difficult to trace your sonnet, since > > the catalogue usually gives only the first line, which is by > > Petrarch of course. A sinmilar project to Vogel's is in > > progress under the editorship of Antonio Vassalli, I > > believe. > > > > Best wishes, > > > > and Happy New Year > > Paul > > > > > > On Thu, 18 Dec 1997 11:17:15 -0800 Laurie Stras > > <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > > > 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 > > > > ---------------- > > PROFESSOR PAUL DIFFLEY > > HEAD OF ITALIAN DEPARTMENT > > EXETER UNIVERSITY > > ---------------- > PROFESSOR PAUL DIFFLEY > HEAD OF ITALIAN DEPARTMENT > EXETER UNIVERSITY ---------------- PROFESSOR PAUL DIFFLEY HEAD OF ITALIAN DEPARTMENT EXETER UNIVERSITY %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%