The music of Claudio Monteverdi in the basilica of Sant’Andrea in Mantua: new research

Abstract

The Basilica of Sant’Andrea, along with the palatine basilica of S. Barbara and the Cathedral of S. Pietro, is one of the churches built by the Gonzaga dukes in Mantua to exert their influence and boast of their wealth, especially through sumptuous celebrations. The article analyzes and compares some documents among the few still preserved – about the musicians, the building of a new organ, the ceremonies in the years between the end of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the following – and a newly discovered sketch of the basilica, showing the position of the singers and of the authorities during one of the funeral rites for Vincenzo I Gonzaga in 1612. More details have come out that allow us to understand better the musical life of the basilica and the involvement of Claudio Monteverdi, probably more frequent than surviving documents explicitly tell (e.g. his music for the Vespers for the Ascension Feast in 1611).