Search - Benedetto Ferrari, In Tabernae Musica :: Benedetto Ferrari: Musiche Varie a voce sola

Benedetto Ferrari (1597-1681), also known as Benedetto della Tiorba (i.e. "Benedetto of the Theorbo," an instrument on which he was a notable virtuoso), was an opera composer none of whose operas survive?unless the beautiful final duet in Monteverdi?s L?incoronazione di Poppea is actually by him, as some scholars suspect. His principal surviving music includes three books of monodies entitled Musiche Varie a voce sola, i.e., Various Music for Solo Voice. These works clearly document the changing style of vocal music, from recitar cantando (halfway between speech and song) to the distinctive melody of mid-seventeenth century opera. They were written between 1633 and 1641, a time period during which he performed extensively between Modena and Venice. This historical period was particularly important for the development and evolution of song.