The choice of 16th century texts, by Bronzino and Battiferri, reflects the interests of the dedicatee of these sonnets - Craig Hugh Smyth, a fine art historian and former director of the Villa I Tatti, who was a specialist in Bronzino and Pontormo. Bronzino's sonnet is a lament on the death of Pontormo, his teacher; Laura Battiferri's poem is a direct response to that of Bronzino. As I was also asked to set sonnets by Petrarca, I chose two of his closely linked sonnets, numbers 229 and 230 in th...

I Cantai, or piango; Petrarca: sonnet CCXIX - II I’ piansi, or canto; Petrarca: Sonnet CCXXX - III In morte del medisimo (Jacopo da Pontormo); Bronzino - IV In morte del medesimo (Riposta); Laura Battiferri