Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa: Sesto Libro di Madrigali (1611)

Featuring

La Compagnia del Madrigale
Carlo Gesualdo

Did you know?

1/7

Composer Biography

Carlo Gesualdo, the composer, was a Prince of Venosa, a title that allowed him to pursue music privately rather than professionally.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The unique, often dark and dissonant style of Gesualdo's madrigals was a reflection of his aristocratic status, intended as a 'sublime style, one which is not intended for everybody.'

Interpretation

La Compagnia del Madrigale chose to perform these madrigals at a lower pitch than written to achieve a warmer, more well-rounded sound and allow for greater expressive nuance.

Performer Biography

The founding members of La Compagnia del Madrigale, Rossana Bertini, Giuseppe Maletto, and Daniele Carnovich, have performed together for over 20 years, contributing to their collective understanding as madrigalists.

Composition History

Many texts set to music in Gesualdo's Sixth Book of Madrigals, including those with a strong 'life-death' contrast, may have been written by Gesualdo himself, as he demonstrated poetic creativity.

Historical Context

Gesualdo, through his second marriage to Leonora d'Este, aimed to emulate the musical grandeur of the Ferrara court, even establishing a printing press in his castle for his compositions.

Compositional Technique

Gesualdo's madrigals are characterized by their 'sublime, expressive and highly-refined style, and by his unusual and individual approach to modulation,' according to Padre Giovanni Battista Martini, an 18th-century music theorist.