Italy, though politically irrelevant, through many centuries was always a cultural superpower, in certain areas still today is.
The name of Lorenzo da Ponte is mistyped above. He was born as a Jew, in a place called Ceneda near Venice, with the name of Emanuele Conegliano and converted (without being asked to) to Catholicism at the age of 16, he had to take the name of the Bishop who converted him and was called Lorenzo da Ponte. During his teen years he read everything he could find in the library of his father.
His libretto of Don Giovanni is considered to be the best Opera libretto ever written. At a later age he emigrated to the US and founded the Italian language faculty at the Colombia University in NY.
Mozart as late bloomer is a hot take, considering he's the archetypal child prodigy! I have my pre-order in; I look forward to learning why later this year.
The ability to live life among symbols of a monumental history seems to be a considerable source of Italy's superabundance of creative energy - Goethe noted in his Italian Journey that while in Germany the classical past had to be reconstructed from manuscript and lithographs, in Rome you were immersed in it ambiently by dint of wandering past the Forum on the way to the local vegetable market. Rome is hyperstimulating to the same degree that New York or Seoul is, but in a far more nourishing and organic way.
Has the consensus re: Mozart's compositional method now shifted to "Was able to write fully fledged arrangements in his head"? I thought the Tell-Tale letters suggested that while Mozart clearly had a very intellectual method of composing and could sustain long thought about new, developing works, he also needed a clavier to work thoughts and arrangements out fully, hence why when he didn't have a keyboard in his house he would usually compose at the houses of friends who did?
I'm not sure what the consensus is on that topic... Glover is dealing only with early work here, so perhaps the clavier method comes later? Shall investigate.
Another good example of Rome's stimulating power: Brunelleschi reinvented the dome, after the knowledge had been lost for a thousand years, in Florence, but only after visiting Rome, to see the original for himself.
If it fits in with your plans, I’d love to read a dive into more examples of Rome’s power of inspiration. Not sure how much one can credit their later success, but off the top of my head, Byron, Shelley, Keats, J.M.W. Turner, a few of the Polish Romantics (I think), all visited at some stage in their careers. Though perhaps would just end up being a post on the Grand Tour writ large
Italy, though politically irrelevant, through many centuries was always a cultural superpower, in certain areas still today is.
The name of Lorenzo da Ponte is mistyped above. He was born as a Jew, in a place called Ceneda near Venice, with the name of Emanuele Conegliano and converted (without being asked to) to Catholicism at the age of 16, he had to take the name of the Bishop who converted him and was called Lorenzo da Ponte. During his teen years he read everything he could find in the library of his father.
His libretto of Don Giovanni is considered to be the best Opera libretto ever written. At a later age he emigrated to the US and founded the Italian language faculty at the Colombia University in NY.
Extraordinary person.
Ooh, this sounds good. Gonna go grab myself a copy. Thank you!
Definitely worthwhile if you’re a Mozart person
I am that. Mainly a Beethoven person, but with plenty of room in my heart for Mozart. :-)
Mozart as late bloomer is a hot take, considering he's the archetypal child prodigy! I have my pre-order in; I look forward to learning why later this year.
I was obsessed with this guy's music from 2019 till 2022.
The ability to live life among symbols of a monumental history seems to be a considerable source of Italy's superabundance of creative energy - Goethe noted in his Italian Journey that while in Germany the classical past had to be reconstructed from manuscript and lithographs, in Rome you were immersed in it ambiently by dint of wandering past the Forum on the way to the local vegetable market. Rome is hyperstimulating to the same degree that New York or Seoul is, but in a far more nourishing and organic way.
Has the consensus re: Mozart's compositional method now shifted to "Was able to write fully fledged arrangements in his head"? I thought the Tell-Tale letters suggested that while Mozart clearly had a very intellectual method of composing and could sustain long thought about new, developing works, he also needed a clavier to work thoughts and arrangements out fully, hence why when he didn't have a keyboard in his house he would usually compose at the houses of friends who did?
I'm not sure what the consensus is on that topic... Glover is dealing only with early work here, so perhaps the clavier method comes later? Shall investigate.
Another good example of Rome's stimulating power: Brunelleschi reinvented the dome, after the knowledge had been lost for a thousand years, in Florence, but only after visiting Rome, to see the original for himself.
If it fits in with your plans, I’d love to read a dive into more examples of Rome’s power of inspiration. Not sure how much one can credit their later success, but off the top of my head, Byron, Shelley, Keats, J.M.W. Turner, a few of the Polish Romantics (I think), all visited at some stage in their careers. Though perhaps would just end up being a post on the Grand Tour writ large
Am hoping to write about the topic more broadly--living with a vision of greatness
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374144696_Freud's_nasal_ganglion_shames_drains_the_brain_via_arterial_wall_sliding_chambers_steers_mastocytes_causing_thalamic_bipolarity_or_calvario-menigeally_Mozart's_cortical_changes?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6ImhvbWUiLCJwYWdlIjoicHJvZmlsZSIsInByZXZpb3VzUGFnZSI6InByb2ZpbGUiLCJwb3NpdGlvbiI6InBhZ2VDb250ZW50In19
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374144696_Freud's_nasal_ganglion_shames_drains_the_brain_via_arterial_wall_sliding_chambers_steers_mastocytes_causing_thalamic_bipolarity_or_calvario-menigeally_Mozart's_cortical_changes?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6ImhvbWUiLCJwYWdlIjoicHJvZmlsZSIsInByZXZpb3VzUGFnZSI6InByb2ZpbGUiLCJwb3NpdGlvbiI6InBhZ2VDb250ZW50In19