Dominion of the Ear: Singing the Vernacular in Piazza San Martino

Introduction

“…13 Musicologists have examined the oral and aural dimension of the street singers' art, typically linked to non-written traditions and improvisational techniques. 14 By analysing a variety of case-studies ranging from Amsterdam, Antwerp, Florence, London, Paris, Venice and Valencia, this collection of essays further investigates the composite persona of the street singer in Renaissance Europe. Both the category and the term 'street singer' are in fact culturally and socially elusive.…”

Prepositional City: Spatial Practice and Micro-Neighborhood in Renaissance Florence

“… 21 The most important recent contribution is the pathbreaking major study by Atkinson, 2016. Also, in the Florentine context, see Blake Wilson; Milner, 2013; Colleran. In the European context, see Garrioch, 2003; on the aural culture of early modern England, see Smith; Cockayne.…”

The Social Connotations of Singing Verse in Cinquecento Italy

“…54 At least one Venetian aristocrat stopped to listen to a performance of Cristoforo's when he appeared in Venice on 10 May 1518. As Luca Degl'Innocenti mentions in his essay in this collection (p. 319), Marin Sanudo recounts in his diary how he and Gaspare dalla Vedova, a powerful civil servant and member of the class of cittadini, heard Cristoforo sing narrative verses, accompanied by a musician playing the lira da braccio.…”