Make a Joyful Noise: Renaissance Art and Music at Florence Cathedral

by Gary M. Radke with additional essays by Gabriele Giacomelli, Patrick Macey, and Marica S. Tacconi and a postscript by Timothy Verdon

Florence Cathedral, familiarly called Il Duomo, is an architectural masterpiece and home to celebrated works of art. The interrelationship between the brilliant art and architecture and the Cathedral’s musical program is explored in depth in this beautiful book. Perhaps the most beloved example is Luca della Robbia’s sculptural program for the organ loft, comprising ten sculptural relief panels that depict children singing, dancing, and making music. Luca’s charming sculptures are examined alongside luxurious illuminated manuscripts commissioned for musical performances. Essays by distinguished scholars provide new insights into the original function and meaning of Luca’s sculptures, organs and organists during the fifteenth century, the roles played by women and girls—as well as men and boys—in making music throughout Renaissance Florence, and the Cathedral’s illuminated choir books.

Gary M. Radke is Dean’s Professor of the Humanities and Professor of Art History at Syracuse University. Gabriele Giacomelli is Director of the Florence Cathedral concert series. Patrick Macey is Professor of Musicology in the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. Marica S. Tacconi is Professor of Musicology and Assistant Director for Research and Graduate Studies at the Penn State School of Music. Timothy Verdon is Director of the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Florence.

7.8 x 0.8 x 12.2 inches, 96 pages, Hard-cover