Introduction

This chapter focuses on the academy’s history and philosophical foundations. Speaking of alignments, one of the most important questions related to the Invaghiti Orfeo is the philosophical congruence (or lack thereof ) between Monteverdi and the Invaghiti. Monteverdi’s compositional philosophy, which he referred to as the “second practice” in his public debate with Artusi, has also received frequent attention within the musicological literature. Numerous Monteverdi-centered studies have discussed the subject of rhetorical style in Orfeo, as well as the nature of persuasion in “Possente spirto,” though only a few of these have given significant attention to the canons of oratorical argumentation. This has left a substantial lacuna for the Invaghiti Orfeo to fill, as oratory was one of the academy’s two primary subjects of study and practice. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.