Something for everyone, a comedy tonight!

Personally, I don't think I make a very convincing diplomatic figure. My clothing is the oddest mixture of fur and satin that I personally have ever seen, and the feather on my blasted hat seems to want to droop the wrong way all the time. In fact, I don't think we would have been welcomed quite as warmly as we were, had it not been for the rather nice, and very exotic gilded dinner service that we brought to present to the new Grand Duchess, princess Christine. If there's one thing you can always be sure of with the aristocracy, they never turn down gold.
The other thing, or rather, person that has been niggling me since I got here, is the Duke's insufferable vintner; I would guess his age to be in the early thirties, with a pasty complexion, thinning hair, and a fat face, although if you actually look at him, his body is quite spare, and his legs... well, I've seen more meat on kindling twigs! Whenever he looks at me he seems to have an expression as though he bit into a bun and found half a cockroach. And at the formal dinner last night, when he filled my wineglass, I had to keep urging him on. He seemed reluctant to pour enough for a mouse to get tiddly.
But making up for all my minor grouches today, there is to be an entertainment celebrating the Duke's marriage. This isn't a masque in name, but in most other respects, it will be pretty much the same kind of affair; a first-rate chance for the Ducal family to show off their wealth, power, and erudition, with food, drink and music at convenient intervals.
It's important to remember that this is a political marriage first and foremost (and quite possibly, exclusively). Duke Ferdinando de Medici wants to strengthen the Florentine ties with France once more, and marriage to Christine of Lorraine is a suitable opportunity. Or to put it another way, she can ensure the continuity of the Medici line, while he ensures the continuity of power (through her relatives!).
The prologue informs us that we are to see the story of the challenge of the Emathian princesses to the muses. Thank goodness for my east-european diplomat persona, while I know who the muses are in Greek mythology, it would be unthinkably ignorant for someone of my standing not to know the story of the Pierides if I was the representative of a (presumably) more educated western court.
I have to say that this is my first experience of the theatrical style that will become known across europe as the Commedia dell'arte, and while at this stage it doesn't have the fully-developed character of slapstick and mayhem for which it will become known (and which would be inappropriate to a courtly entertainment), it is quite clearly heading that way.
I'm rather disappointed that I wasn't able to get my hands on any of the sheet music for this afternoon's presentation, however, on my return I did manage to find Luca Marenzio's Diuersi Linguaggi: sung by the various characters of the commedia;

• the Scholar
• the Professor
• Fate
• Grace
  
• Francescina
• Girometta
• Zanni (a clown)
• Captain Magnifico
• the German
  

For anyone who might be interested, here is the song "Various Languages", beautifully engraved by Christian Mondrup for the Werner Icking Music Library.

References

The Programme for the entertainment

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A bastard genius

In a feudal political system, how does a duke try to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and expense when he foresees the probability of a power struggle? Well, one way is by sending a peace offering (bribe!)
On the left, is Lodovico Sforza, Il Moro (the Moor, a nickname supposedly given to him because he tanned easily) duke of Milan, and on the right, Lorenzo di Medici, Il Magnifico ('nuff said).
And the reason we're here, the young man with the rather splendid legs and the two young pageboys carrying the package in the damask behind him, is none other than Signor Leonardo da Vinci. The content of the package, which will be revealed in a few moments is a magnificent silver lyre in the shape of a horse's head crafted by Leonardo himself.
The lyre is an excellent idea for a gift, suggesting that Lodovico will appreciate the classical associations of the instrument of Apollo and Orpheus, as well as being capable of playing the instrument himself. The fact that it is made from silver should give it a characteristically sweet tone, as well as representing more lucre in the ducal vaults!
Since I couldn't find a picture of Leonardo's presentation this detail from the mural of the court of the duke of Mantua should give a fair idea not only of the fashions, but the kind of characters that hang out with the duke.
As a matter of course, it is expected of any young man who moves in aristocratic circles that he should be a skilled horseman, poet, philosopher, soldier, and musician, and once the lyre has been unwrapped and offered to Lodovico, etiquette demands that Lodovico invite Leonardo to demonstrate the gift.
After the first few bars the murmur of chatter fades away. I think the thirty-year-old craftsman painter has made an impression, and no wonder! The piece he has chosen to demonstrate the lyre is quite a challenging song by the Flemish composer Johannes Ockeghem.
The musical riddles which Ockeghem poses in some of his compositions will keep scholars hard at work for many centuries to come, and no doubt the gentlemen of the court who pride themselves on their mathematical and scientific knowledge will find matter for debate in this piece for months to come.

the abc notation for the music below is available online.

Before it is time for him to leave Milan and return to Florence once more, Leonardo has received an invitation to enter the service of the duke of Milan, and I suspect he has been taken into the confidence of the duke. While it is not supposed to be generally known, the duke has plans to encourage France to invade Italy, presumably confident of overpowering the French invaders with the help of the cunning of Leonardo, and simultaneously taking advantage of his weakened neighbouring duchies.
For his part, Leonardo left a sodomy charge behind in Florence, and although he was acquitted, I wouldn't mind betting he has more admirers in the ducal court here in Milan than just Lodovico! But it ill-behooves me to speculate on Leonardo's private life. Let me present for you Jan Ockeghem's music:

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