Eroticism in Early Modern Music ed. by Bonnie J. Blackburn and Laurie Stras (review)

Many of this collection’s ten contributions – exploring a variety of ways in which eroticism was embodied in music during the early modern period – come from ‘Eros and Euterpe: Music and Eroticism in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries’, a conference held at the University of Indiana in 2004. In her Introduction, Laurie Stras contends that obfuscation and double entendre complicate the reading of erotica from outside of one’s own culture; eroticism and the recognition of it rely on the comprehension of an array of aesthetic principles and cultural codes. The essays here are largely empirical in nature, supplemented by lyrics and numerous illustrations and music examples.

The first essay, by editor, Bonnie J. Blackburn, is an intriguing examination of ‘the gendering of various aspects of music theory’ (p. 20), focusing on the music note, B Flat. We learn that B Flat has, since antiquity, been associated with the feminine. This association goes back to the Goddess Venus. In this respect, there follows also a discussion on trite synemmenon.

Leofranc Holford-Strevens also refers to the B Flat note in his examination of ‘salacious subtexts’ in Neapolitan songs. He cites the example of Madonne, l’arte nostra è di cantare by Perissone Cambio (p. 43), the lyrics of which are notable for their sexual euphemisms. Another striking example describes a villanesca Ve voglio dire donne l’arte nostra, also by Perissone Cambio, whose lyrics use ‘pen’ and ‘inkwell’ as euphemisms for sex: ‘Io metto pena e tu lo calamaro’ (‘I provide the pen and you the inkwell’, p. 46).

The remaining essays tackle the topic of eroticism in music from a range of perspectives and contexts, including different music genres and geographies. This volume makes a welcome contribution to the study of eroticism and music in the early modern period.