Nicolo Vito di Gozze (Nikola Vitov Gučetić, 1549-1610) and the Role of Music in Renaissance Dubrovnik

Abstract

Renaissance politician and philosopher Nicolò Vito di Gozze treated music subjects in three among his works: Dialogo della bellezza (Dialogue on Beauty, 1581), Governo della famiglia (The Governing of the Family, 1589) and Dello stato delle republiche (On the State of the Republics, 1591). Although in these works Gozze mentioned music in a number of shorter passages, it is possible to perceive three larger topics he discussed in more detail: musical instruments, musico-theoretical ideas and the functions and effects of music. Gozze’s thoughts on music had been mostly influenced by ancient Greek thinkers, Plato and Aristotle, thus Gozze pointed out the importance of role of music in society, especially within the educational system and the process of learning.