Monteverdi’s “Selva morale et spirituale” in the context of Habsburg devotional music
With the collection “Selva morale et spirituale”, Claudio Monteverdi, whose portrait is one of the Ferdinandeum’s most important art treasures, presented a representative showcase of his work in the field of sacred music at the end of his life. He dedicated it to Empress Eleonora Gonzaga. The composer had known the regent since childhood, as Eleonora was born in Mantua in 1598 and Monteverdi was in the service of the Mantuan dynasty there until 1612. The title “Selva morale et spirituale” (Spiritual and Moral Forest) refers to the two focal points of this opus: on the one hand, it contains sacred madrigals with moralising texts and, on the other, sacred works for mass, vespers, other religious services and devotions.
In our concert, the focus is on devotional music that is not strictly liturgical – with Monteverdi hits such as the Pianto della Madonna (the sacred version of the famous Arianna’s Lament) and some of the madrigals that open the collection and in which transience (vanitas) is evoked in a manner typical of the time. The varied musical programme, which does not follow a liturgical form, gives an impression of devotional music at the imperial court. The Habsburgs publicly celebrated their piety and attachment to Catholicism in these extremely popular devotions: “Pietas Austriaca” became proverbial.
BONUS: 6 pm introduction with music
