Saints and Sinners

This is a study of the seventeenth-century Latin role dialogue, a sung conversation on a sacred subject involving two or more characters, each of whom is represented by a single voice. This is the first critical study of the genre, which has never been the object of comprehensive scholarly treatment. Few exist in modern editions, and a valuable portion of this book is the complete transcriptions of ten dialogues, representative of their range and invention. Professor Noske divides his subject matter into Biblical and non-Biblical dialogues, and offers a comprehensive discussion of their musical and non-musical aspects. In the course of his discussion, he brings to light a number of minor masters and allows for a re-appraisal of more well-known composers familiar through other genres, such as Giovanni Legrenzi. The study also adds to our understanding of seventeenth-century sacred music as a whole.Noske, Frits is the author of 'Saints and Sinners', published 1993 under ISBN 9780198162988 and ISBN 0198162987.