Forms of the ‘ode’ in Gabriello Chiabrera’s poetry

Abstract

The study analyses the evolution of Gabriello Chiabrera’s odes, comparing the poetic texts with the theoretical statements scattered in dialogues, paratexts and letters. The path of the poet’s metrical experimentation is examined, from the first odes in Horatian six- and four-verse stanzas to the Pindaric stanzas divided into strophe, antistrophe and epode. Particular attention is paid to the latter typology, whose musicable characteristics and connections with Barberini’s classicism are also investigated.