http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/41211532

Pictorial and poetic influences in Benjamin Britten's Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo : a magical journey through associations

Abstract: Benjamin Britten's song cycle Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo (1940) was the first composition he expressly wrote for his lifetime companion Peter Pears, and as such, plays a pivotal role in both the personal and professional lives of the two artists. This composition heralded a renaissance in the lives of the two men and as a framework around which he could compose, Britten chose the poetry of the renaissance painter, sculpture and architect, Michelangelo Buonarotti. The specific poetry which Britten selected was written by Michelangelo for a young Roman nobleman, Tomasso Cavalieri. In addition to the poetry, Michelangelo drew sketches for Cavalieri of classical mythological characters. These presentation drawings were companion pieces to the poetry and in that context revealed deeply personal and secretive messages of homoerotic content. In composing songs which initiated his own romantic, personal, and musical association, Britten expanded upon Michelangelo's artistic mythology and expressed similar messages for Peter Pears.

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