ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the role of Felice Orsini and her husband, Marco Antonio Colonna, in the artistic and social life of Rome. It discusses the madrigal in relation to the musicians linked to the Colonna-Orsini circle, with particular attention devoted to the encomiastic compositions dedicated to the couple. The book argues that Virginio Orsini represents an example of patron-client-intermediary in early modern Italy, specifically in Rome and Florence, where he exercised considerable influence. It suggests that with Paolo Giordano II the influence of the Orsinis in Florentine circles gradually decreased, and there was a shift in the family patronage. If Virginio was both a patron and mediator, Paolo Giordano II became more concerned with his image as a "patron" of music in his own right, and with projecting himself as a new-style Roman aristocrat.