San Marco Venice Research Papers (original) (raw)

In the Mass of the Epiphany, after the singing of the Gospel, the deacon still announces the date of Easter, according to an ancient practice of the Church. There are various textual and musical formulas in the different ritual... more

In the Mass of the Epiphany, after the singing of the Gospel, the deacon still announces the date of Easter, according to an ancient practice of the Church. There are various textual and musical formulas in the different ritual traditions. The contribution focuses on the formulas used in Aquileia and Venice, also taking into account the use of Milan and the formulas found in manuscripts from the eastern Adriatic area (Spalato, Osor). The formula "Plebs sancta", in addition to Aquileia and (in amplified form) in Venice, was in use in Como, Bergamo and other Churches in Northern Italy, as further evidences have shown.

(ed. with Friedrich Geiger) - Der Komponist Luigi Nono wurde 1924 in Venedig geboren. Von kurzen Unterbrechungen abgesehen, lebte er dort bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 1990. Dass die Stadt sich in seiner Musik spiegle, hat er immer wieder... more

(ed. with Friedrich Geiger) - Der Komponist Luigi Nono wurde 1924 in Venedig geboren. Von kurzen Unterbrechungen abgesehen, lebte er dort bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 1990. Dass die Stadt sich in seiner Musik spiegle, hat er immer wieder hervorgehoben. In die Literatur zu Nono ist diese Sicht wie selbstverständlich eingegangen, doch welche klingenden Reflexe Venedigs sich im Einzelnen namhaft machen lassen und welche Zwecke Nono damit verfolgte, ist bislang ungeklärt. Die Autorinnen und Autoren dieses Bandes gehen solchen Fragen systematisch und kritisch nach, indem sie die Venedig-Bezüge von Nonos Musik am Beispiel ausgewählter Kompositionen differenzieren. Ergänzend werden die Äußerungen des Komponisten zu seiner Heimatstadt über fast vierzig Jahre hinweg dokumentiert. Der Band enthält darüber hinaus bisher unveröffentlichte Reproduktionen von Skizzen des Komponisten, die heute im Archivio Luigi Nono (Venedig) aufbewahrt werden.

The article offers new evidence concerning a set of sculptures carved in pietra d’Aurisina for the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. The statues represent scenes of the Nativity and Childhood of Christ. Similarities in style, proportions,... more

The article offers new evidence concerning a set of sculptures carved in pietra d’Aurisina for the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. The statues represent scenes of the Nativity and Childhood of Christ. Similarities in style, proportions, dimensions and raw material reveal that they belong to a single set. An analysis of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes indicates that several of the statues were carved out of blocks of stone excavated from the same precise site in the Aurisina quarry in the upper Adriatic. The article takes into consideration the entire set, that is both the preserved pieces and those that were presumably designed for the original cycle but are no longer extant. A lectern angel, likewise in pietra d’Aurisina, set into the northern pulpit of San Marco, as well as four angels celebrating the birth of Christ beneath the crossing of the Basilica offer evidence to support the hypothesis that the Nativity cycle was created for the choir screen of San Marco. The screen, along with the northern and southern pulpits, was probably built at the time of Doge Ranieri Zeno (r. 1253-68). In 1394, the choir screen was replaced by the current transenna, and the set of sculptures dismantled with it. The present article is a first attempt at piecing the Nativity cycle together and reconstructing its context in San Marco.

In: Helen Geyer, Birgit Johanna Wertenson (eds), G. F. Händel. Aufbruch nach Italien / In viaggio verso l'Italia (Conference Proceedings: Venice, 27-28 November 2009). Roma: Viella, 2013, pp. 207-225. – Giovanni Legrenzi’s motet Intret in... more

In: Helen Geyer, Birgit Johanna Wertenson (eds), G. F. Händel. Aufbruch nach Italien / In viaggio verso l'Italia (Conference Proceedings: Venice, 27-28 November 2009). Roma: Viella, 2013, pp. 207-225. – Giovanni Legrenzi’s motet Intret in conspectu tuo is transmitted only in an autograph by George Frideric Handel. An important documentary source (the Venetian journal "Pallade veneta") suggests that the motet was composed for the celebrations of military victories against the Ottomans, promoted by the Venetian Doge in January 1687. Paleographical evidence, however, suggests that Handel copied the motet in London around 1749. The use of a section of the motet in a chorus of the Samson suggests that the composer knew it before 1741, when the oratory was performed for the first time. This fact raises interesting questions about Handel's re-utilization of Italian musical sources.

This chapter of Venetian Colour examines the principles of polychromy that characterise the architecture and sculpture of the city between about 1380 and 1460. The widespread contrast of gold and blue found in the framing of altarpieces,... more

This chapter of Venetian Colour examines the principles of polychromy that characterise the architecture and sculpture of the city between about 1380 and 1460. The widespread contrast of gold and blue found in the framing of altarpieces, on sculpture and in architecture in the Gothic period declines with the introduction of "all'antica" elements towards the end of the period. Monuments discussed include the Palazzo Ducale, the Ca d'Oro, and the churches of San Marco, Santo Stefano and the Madonna dell'Orto.