Music for the Holy Triduum in Arezzo in the 16th century: the Piae ac devotissimae lamentationes Hieremiae Prophetae by Paolo Aretino (1546)
Rodobaldo Tibaldi
Università degli Studi di Pavia, Dipartimento di Musicologia e Beni Culturali
Abstract
Two years after publishing the Responsoria a quattro voci pari per il Triduo sacro (1544), Paolo Aretino gave another important contribution to the polyphonic repertoire for Holy Week with the Pie ac devotissime lamentiones Hieremiae prophete (1546), again for four equal voices, to which he also added the passions according to Matthew for Palm Sunday and according to John for Good Friday (which are not investigated in this contribution). The contribution analyzes the editorial context in which the collection is placed, its overall structure, the choices and textual peculiarities, which seem to be partly indebted to local traditions, the sound range delimited by keys, properties and, within certain limits, modes. All the elements are used to create, in a coherent and rational way, three rather homogeneous blocks, each corresponding to one of the three liturgical days. In particular, the sound range and its features such as the cadence scheme place the lamentations in direct relation with the responsories. The musical style of the lamentations, as well as that of the responsories, is strongly indebted to the Florentine experience and the solutions of Bernardo Pisano. These clear derivations raise the question of possible relationships between Paolo Aretino and Francesco Corteccia.
