Exactly 650 years ago, one of the founders of humanism and of our Western European culture, Francesco Petrarca, passed away. In his numerous written works, he aimed to transcend the dark atmosphere of the Middle Ages by making room for the individual and reason. In fact, he was the first in Europe to engage in the study of classical antiquity. As a cosmopolitan avant la lettre, he traveled through Italy, France, and Germany, among other places. These journeys form the basis of his hundreds of Latin writings in which he discusses a wide range of topics. However, the individual human being always takes precedence. Due to specific language structures, he wrote his prose in Latin and his poetry in Italian. His erudition is evident in his Latin works, while his thoughts, style, words, and sounds come to the forefront in his Italian works.

The “Canzoniere” is one of his most famous works. It is a collection of 366 sonnets and canzones in Italian. They serve as the guiding principle for our program. His love for Laura de Noves, a married woman he met on Good Friday in Avignon in 1327, is the central theme. Because of her unattainability, this form of love was often considered the truest in the Renaissance. Laura continued to inspire Petrarch throughout his entire life.

The “Canzoniere” consists of two parts: the first is about the living Laura, and the second is movingly dedicated entirely to his unwavering love, even after her death.

Even to this day, it is the poetic sound of these verses that continues to inspire many composers. We have chosen composers who were already in Italy during the 16th century or traveled to Italy and came into contact with his poetry: Luca Marenzio, Cipriano De Rore, Orlando De Lassus, Hans Leo Hassler, Giaches De Wert, and Adriaan Willaert.

Adelheid Glatt