The Italian Cantata in Vienna: Entertainment in the Age of Absolutism - Hardcover

by Lawrence Bennett (Author)

Lawrence Bennett provides a comprehensive study of the rich repertoire of accompanied vocal chamber music that entertained the imperial family in Vienna and their guests throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries. The cantata became a form of elite entertainment composed to amuse listeners during banquets or pay homage to members of the royal family during special occasions. Concentrating on Baroque cantatas composed in the Habsburg court, Bennett draws extensively on primary source material to explore the stylistic changes that occurred within the genre in the generations before Haydn and Mozart.

Author Biography

Lawrence Bennett is Professor Emeritus of Music and former Chair of the Music Department at Wabash College. He founded the Western Wind, a vocal ensemble that has toured professionally throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.