Gaspare Murtola (; d. 1624 or 1625) was an Italian poet and writer of

madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number ...

s. He is known for a bitter

literary feud A literary feud is a conflict or quarrel between well-known writers, usually conducted in public view by way of published letters, speeches, lectures, and interviews. In the book ''Literary Feuds'', Anthony Arthur describes why readers might be i ...

with

Giambattista Marino Giovanni Battista was a common Italian given name (see Battista for those with the surname) in the 16th-18th centuries. It refers to " John the Baptist" in English, the French equivalent is "Jean-Baptiste". Common nicknames include Giambattista, G ...

, carried out "with

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's inventio ...

s, invectives, and pistol shots," and for references he makes in his poetry to art works by

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of h ...

. His main work is the sacred poem ''La Creazione del mondo'' ("The Creation of the World," 1608).

Biography

Gaspare Murtola was born in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, and studied

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

and

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

in his native place. He went to Rome as secretary to Giacomo Serra, who became

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

and was

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...

of the Pope to the Emperor. Murtola accompanied him on this journey to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Afterwards, being in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Murtola attracted the attention of

Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel I ( it, Carlo Emanuele di Savoia; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630. He was nicknamed (, in context "the Hot-Headed") for his rashness and military aggression. Being ...

, and was made his secretary. While at the Court of Savoy, he published his poem on the Creation: ''Della Creazione del Mondo, Poema Sacro, Giorni Sette, Canti Sedici'' (Venice, 1608). Marino, who was then also in Turin, ridiculed the new poem in a satirical sonnet. A violent quarrel arose between the two poets. Marino followed up his first attack with a whole volley of sonnets which he called the ''Murtoleide''; Murtola replied with a ''Marineide''. Finally, when Marino appeared to be getting the better of the affair, Murtola waited for his enemy one day in a street of Turin with an

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

. He missed Marino, but wounded Marino's companion, a favorite of the Duke. For this attempt he was imprisoned, but Marino generously secured his release. Murtola nevertheless is said to have intrigued to drive Marino from Turin, and to have succeeded. He himself left soon after, and passed the remainder of his life in Rome. It is related that

Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

once questioned him on his attack on Marino, and received from the poet the ambiguous reply: 'È vero, ho fallito.' Prior to the publication of his Creazione Murtola had been known as a Latin poet for his ''Nutriciarum sive Naeniarum libri tres'' (Venice, 1602), and as a lyric poet for his ''Rime'' (Venice, 1604). The ''Rime'' is divided into several books entitled: ''Gli Amori'', ''Gli Occhi'', ''Le Veneri''. The verses are mostly madrigals, and in taste and subject often recall the writer's rival, Marino. Like Marino, Murtola wrote madrigals on works of art, including several poems on works by Caravaggio. In a madrigal of 1603, he responded to Caravaggio's ''Medusa'' with "Flee, for if your eyes are petrified in amazement, she will turn you to stone."Fossi, ''Uffizi,'' p. 530.

Main works

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References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murtola, Gaspare Italian poets Italian male poets Marinism 1620s deaths 1570 births Baroque writers