Abstract

While it has been often emphasized that Monteverdi's seconda practica opens the way to the essential idea of Baroque music: musical expression of passions of the text, Zarlino has been supposed to be a great defender of the more conservative style, prima practica. However, Zarlino also develops the idea of "imitation of words" on the basis of the medieval conception of music as quadrivium. Zarlino supports the traditional Pythagorean view defining music as Harmonia, which is based on the simple proportions of the integral numbers and accordingly connotes consonances which sound agreeably to the sense. His view of music is therefore primarily speculative and mathematically analyzable by the reason. On the other hand, in the Renaissance humanistic thought, Zarlino seeks restoration of emotional effects of music in antiquity. He asserts the arousal of passions is caused by the very words to be set, those Harmonia and rhythm which are suitable to their emotional contents, and moreover, he stresses on the ethical purpose of music. But, Zarlino admits only the polyphony composed of consonances, as device of expression. He considers mathematical harmonic match as the most intrinsic part of music, recognizing the important role of words in music