ABSTRACT
This chapter opens with a discussion of the activities of the “literary academies,” including the development of the academy members’ compositional skills and opportunities for interaction with celebrated poets and their works (including Torquato Tasso, especially for the Invaghiti). Next is a discussion of the Invaghiti’s literary philosophy, including its embrace of the moralistic and stylistic aspects of Petrarchism, as well as its views on the styles and philosophies of more modernistic poets like Gabriello Chiabrera and Battista Guarini; these views are also compared to those of their Florentine counterparts in the Accademia degli Alterati and the cameratas hosted by Giovanni Bardi and Jacopo Corsi. Following this is an analysis of the models used by Striggio in his libretto for Orfeo, which, in addition to works already mentioned in the literature, include certain Petrarch sonnets, Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata and Rime, and his fellow academy member Ercole Udine’s Psiche. Following this is a discussion on the use (or possible nonuse) of the ending from the 1607 libretto, as well as the authorship of the ending found in the 1609 score. Finally, this chapter looks at the academy members’ views on the comparative value of words and music.
