Music at the Gonzaga Court in Mantua

“The author provides…many interesting stories of intrigue, deception, and humor in sixteenth-century Italian musical life, and the acquisition for instruments, singers, and composers.” ―Sixteenth Century Journal

“Sanders has combed the considerable literature on Mantua and sifted through archival records, weaving them into a fascinating account of the city’s musical life during the glory years of the ‘long’ sixteenth century, all in the context of political, ecclesiastical, and intellectual developments of the time. It is certain to find a place alongside classic studies of the subject.” ―Linda P. Cummins, Coordinator of Musicology, University of Alabama

“Mantua has long been known as one of the great intellectual and artistic centers of the Italian Renaissance. Now Donald Sanders places musical composition and performance in this context, in a thoroughly researched and engagingly written account centering on the period from the 1490 marriage of Francesco II and Isabella d’Este through the Counter-Reformation to the creation of opera at the time of Monteverdi. It is at once a scholarly achievement and a good read.” ―Jan Herlinger, Louisiana State University