The Close of the Sixteenth Century. Developments in the Italian madrigal Scoring — increase in...
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Transcript of The Close of the Sixteenth Century. Developments in the Italian madrigal Scoring — increase in...
The Close of the Sixteenth Century
Developments in the Italian madrigal
• Scoring — increase in number of voices (five to six common)
• Rhythm — subtle treatment of diction• Melody — wider ranges for more expert singers• Harmony — more chromaticism for expressive
effects• Form — follows text• Text treatment
– more elaborate in word painting — melodic, rhythmic, textural devices
– expression of feeling — harmony
Genres in Italian vocal music
• Canzonetta — light mood, simple style• Balletto — dance-based– familiar style — simple and rhythmic– strophic with “fa-la” refrain
• Villanella — comic– employs compositional simplicity and crudity
to suggest rustic classes• Madrigal dialogue — madrigal with dialogue text,
using subdivided ensemble to represent change of speaker
• Madrigal comedy — a cycle of madrigals (more likely villanelle) featuring contrasting ensembles and constituting a story
Vocal music in England at the end of the sixteenth century
• Affected by Italy after period of isolation and conservatism — Nicholas Yonge, Musica transalpina (1588), acquainted English musicians with the latest Italian styles
• Growth of English poetry — period of Shakespeare• Modeled on Italian genres
– madrigal — style of best Italian madrigalists– Canzonet– Ballett
• Songs for voice and instruments– lute song– consort song
French mannerism — focused on diction rather than expression
• Pléiade poets (named for Greek poets of third century BCE) — most famous was Pierre de Ronsard (1524?–1585)– promoted French over Latin for literary art– humanist interest in imitation of ancient
literature• Jean-Antoine Baïf (1532–1589) founded
Académie de poésie et de musique in 1570– applied strict interpretation of Classic long
and short syllables to poetry to produce vers mesurée
• Musique mesurée — musical rhythm follows long and short syllables exactly, not necessarily regulated by equal measure lengths
French songs for voice and lute
• Vaudeville (from voix de ville, “city voice”) — more popular
• Air de cour (court song) — courtly setting and sentiment
A “Venetian” scoring• Cori spezzati (spaced-out choirs) —
polychoral scoring– remember antiphonal liturgical singing?– popular in northern Italy in general from
fifteenth century — for special occasions
• Associated with St. Mark’s basilica in Venice– Adrian Willaert (ca. 1490–1562) —
Netherlander, maestro di cappella– Andrea Gabrieli (ca. 1510–1586) organist;
polychoral works published by nephew Giovanni in 1587 as concerti
– Giovanni Gabrieli (ca. 1553–1612) — nephew of Andrea; organist
Questions for discussion
• How did nonmusical events in history contribute to the new stylistic trends of the late sixteenth century? What purely musical forces shaped the development of these styles?
• What aspects of the national character of Italy and France are embodied in the particular musical styles developed in each of those countries in the late sixteenth century?
• Why is the term mannerist sometimes applied to the music of this period?