Luigi Dentice
Encyclopedia
Luigi Dentice was an Italian composer, musical theorist, singer and lutenist who served the powerful Sanseverino
family, and was father of Fabrizio Dentice
(ca. 1539-ca. 1581), also a composer and lutenist. He was grandfather of Scipione Dentice
(1560-1635).
Dentice came from a noble family. When his father died in 1561 he inherited the title of Baron of Viggiano
. He married Vincenza Caracciolo, who in 1566 was left a widow with two young children. In the 1550s the Dentices travelled extensively in Spain. As a singer, Luigi Dentice appears to have sung as a male soprano falsettist.
His main work of music theory Duo dialoghi della musica, Rome 1553, was a collection of classical Greek and Latin writings on music, translated into Italian, with Dentice's own commentary. The title promises one dialogue on theory, another on practice. The text is interspersed with a few comments on contemporary music and musicians. It also includes Dentice's opinions on inflection in musica ficta
,, and the practice of monody
later developed by Giulio Caccini
and others.
Sanseverino
Sanseverino is a surname, and may refer to:* Roscemanno Sanseverino, 12th century cardinal* Ferdinando Sanseverino , prince of Salerno and Italian condottiero* Gaetano Sanseverino , Italian theologian...
family, and was father of Fabrizio Dentice
Fabrizio Dentice
Fabrizio Dentice was an Italian composer and virtuoso lute and viol player.Fabrizio was the son of Luigi Dentice who served the powerful Sanseverino family and had a great reputation as a singer and lutenist...
(ca. 1539-ca. 1581), also a composer and lutenist. He was grandfather of Scipione Dentice
Scipione Dentice
Scipione Dentice was a Neapolitan keyboard composer. He is to be distinguished from his colleague and exact contemporary Scipione Stella , a member of Carlo Gesualdo's circle...
(1560-1635).
Dentice came from a noble family. When his father died in 1561 he inherited the title of Baron of Viggiano
Viggiano
Viggiano is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Calvello, Corleto Perticara, Grumento Nova, Laurenzana, Marsicovetere, Montemurro....
. He married Vincenza Caracciolo, who in 1566 was left a widow with two young children. In the 1550s the Dentices travelled extensively in Spain. As a singer, Luigi Dentice appears to have sung as a male soprano falsettist.
His main work of music theory Duo dialoghi della musica, Rome 1553, was a collection of classical Greek and Latin writings on music, translated into Italian, with Dentice's own commentary. The title promises one dialogue on theory, another on practice. The text is interspersed with a few comments on contemporary music and musicians. It also includes Dentice's opinions on inflection in musica ficta
Musica ficta
Musica ficta was a term used in European music theory from the late 12th century to about 1600 to describe any pitches, whether notated or to be added by performers in accordance with their training, that lie outside the system of musica recta or musica vera as defined by the hexachord system of...
,, and the practice of monody
Monody
In poetry, the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another's death....
later developed by Giulio Caccini
Giulio Caccini
Giulio Caccini , also known as Giulio Romano, was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of the very late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was one of the founders of the genre of opera, and one of the single most influential creators of the new Baroque style...
and others.
Selected discography
- Two songs: Come t'haggio lassata, o via mia? Chi me l'havesse dett', o via mia? on Napolitane - villanelleVillanelleA villanelle is a poetic form that entered English-language poetry in the 19th century from the imitation of French models. The word derives from the Italian villanella from Latin villanus . A villanelle has only two rhyme sounds...
, arie & morescheMorescheMoresche is the plural of moresca, meaning Moorish thing, or Moorish girl in Italian. Both the singular and plural can refer to both a 15th~16th Century dance genre or to a 15th~16th Century song genre. This article concerns the genre of moresche, polyphonic "moorish" songs. For the dance, see...
(1530-70). Ensemble MicrologusEnsemble MicrologusEnsemble Micrologus is an Italian group that performs vocal and instrumental medieval music, including both religious and secular pieces from the 12th to the 16th century in their repertoire....
, Cappella della Pietà de' TurchiniCappella della Pietà de' TurchiniThe Cappella della Pietà de' Turchini is an early music ensemble based in Naples and dedicated to the recovery of Neapolitan musical heritage, primarily from the baroque era....
dir. Florio, Opus111 1999