Music and Domestic Devotion in the Age of Reform

Abstract

In the second book of his De cardinalatu, Paolo Cortesi presents the image of the ideal cardinal not only as a powerful papal bureaucrat with influence in the curia, but also as the master of a large household.1 Designed as a guide to virtuous behaviour, De cardinalatu addresses many practical aspects of the cardinal’s life, including the construction, decoration, and functional operations of palaces. Heavily indebted to both Vitruvius and Alberti, Cortesi’s discussion of palace-building also reflects his knowledge of real Roman examples including the imposing residence of Cardinal Raffaele Riario (now the Palazzo della Cancelleria). Cortesi’s ideal palace includes not only a chapel, as might be expected, but also a music room, which should have a round and vaulted ceiling to improve the acoustic, and bronze or earthenware vases sunk into the wall cavities to amplify the sound.2 These two spaces would have functioned as the principal sites of musical activity within the palace, the former for devotional music sometimes performed in a liturgical context, the latter largely (though not exclusively) for the enjoyment of secular songs and instrumental music. Surviving domestic collections of printed and manuscript music from a number of palaces with private chapels, such as the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne and the Palazzo Altemps, bring substance to Cortesi’s words.3 In