Mannerism in Italian Music and Culture, 1530-1630

Maniates maintains that Mannerism was not just a transitional phase between the Renaissance and Baroque eras but a distinct cultural period in which music as well as other arts participated. In a detailed analysis of the music, the author traces mannerist elements in theory, composition, and performance. She focuses on the polyphonic madrigal as the medium through which the major style changes were effected and traces the development of secular music from its most subtle to its most blatant...