Italian Madrigal

Religious and factional warSack of Rome (1527)Italian Renaissance (Cinquecento)Culture centered on individuals, ideas, and families

Rhythm and Meter-

•Madrigalists began using smaller note values with the common time signature. replacing the more usual alla breve. •Rhythm, meter, and tempo were often manipulated to more effectively depict the text.

Musical Style

Melody Although melodic construction was

individualized, some specifics can be documented.

Generally, melodies were written in modal vocabulary with leanings toward the modern tonal system.

Texture Continued

The Italian madrigal during the renaissance was usually set for 5 voices.

The fifth voice normally being paired with 1 of the 4 as a 2nd tenor or 2nd soprano.

The voice parts are more nearly equal in melodic interests, and the music does not follow the text quite so rigidly.

In madrigalists’ music, we can see various textures combined in an effort to musically depict the text. This is known as word painting.

Word PaintingAn example of word painting is John

Farmer’s “Fair Phyllis”. The opening line is “Fair Phyllis I saw sitting

alone.” It is sung by a single female voice, emphasizing the lonely state of the heroine. When a line in the text indicates that Phyllis’s love “wanders up and down,” the movement of the notes is downward on the scale, repeating the Phrase at different pitch levels.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Every_Valley.jpg

Italian Madrigal’s Subject Matter

Love SentimentalErotic

HumorSatireEveryday Life

SEX IN THE ITALIAN MADRIGALConcealment of sex in societyCastiglione’s Book of

the Courtier•Conversation

Displayed in madrigal through analogy and metaphors

Il bianco e dolce cigno

The white and sweet swandies singing, and I, weeping, reach the end of my life.Strange and different fate, that he dies disconsolateand I die a blessed death,which in dying fills me full of joy and desire.If in dying, were I to feel no other pain,I would be content to die a thousand deaths a day.

Composers of the Italian Madrigals

Claudio Monteverde (1567-1643) Philippe Verdelot (1480-1532) Jacob Arcadelt (1507-1568)

Claudio Monteverde

His work is considered revolutionary. Composed a total of 9 books of madrigals. His 8th book, The Ontaro Libro, includes the

Madrigali dei guerrie ed amorosi

Philippe Verdelot

He was one of the earliest and most prolific composers of madrigals.

Verdelot Style His madrigals were hugely popular, and were reprinted

very regularly throughout Europe in the 16th century.

Jacob Arcadelt

Arcadelt’s music became immensely popular in Italy for more than a hundred years.

Almost all of his works were composed in 4 voices.

Bibliograghy

reference.findtarget.com/search/word-painting/reference.findtarget.com/search/word-painting/

http://www.essortment.com/all/italianenglish_rjnf.htm

http://www.lcsproductions.net/MusHistRev/Articles/ItMadrglRen.html

http://amy.music.udel.edu/faculty/murray/302readings/speakingsex.pdf