Gesualdo's Fourth Book of Madrigals is characterized by innovative use of dissonance, sharp dynamic and harmonic contrasts, and irregular cadences, deliberately breaking from traditional compositional rules.
Performer Biography
Delitiae Musicæ, directed by Marco Longhini, is an Italian early music ensemble established in 1992, known for its unconventional interpretations and extensive discography of Renaissance and Baroque music.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Despite being acquitted by law, Gesualdo was tormented by remorse for the murders, finding solace and atonement in music, which he called the 'balsam of music'.
Composition History
Gesualdo's Fourth Book of Madrigals includes a sacred madrigal, 'Sparge la morte al mio Signor', placed at its center as an anomaly within a secular work, reflecting themes of atonement.
Historical Context
In the Kingdom of Naples during Gesualdo's time, murder committed in a clear case of adultery was not considered a crime but a legal right, defined as a 'crime of honour'.
Cultural Impact
Gesualdo commissioned a five-meter tall altarpiece, 'Il perdono di Gesualdo' (1609) by Giovanni Balducci, depicting him seeking forgiveness for his sins, which is preserved in the Chapel of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Composer Biography
Carlo Gesualdo, 'Prince of Venosa', was involved in a notorious murder case in 1590, where he killed his first wife, Donna Maria d'Avalos, and her lover, Fabrizio Carafa, Duke of Andria.
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