Sesto libro de madrigali (1611)

Featuring

Alan Curtis
Il Complesso Barocco
Carlo Gesualdo

Did you know?

1/7

Critical Reception

The madrigal 'Moro, lasso' was published by Charles Burney in his 1789 'History' as 'a specimen of harsh, crude, and licentious modulation... extremely shocking and disgusting to the ear'.

Compositional Technique

Gesualdo's music features restless harmonic progressions, often with chromatic alterations, especially when connected to texts about 'death'.

Compositional Technique

Gesualdo's famous madrigal 'Moro, lasso' begins with a C-sharp-major triad and moves to A minor, creating a striking and unforgettable effect.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Gesualdo was considered an avant-garde musician by his contemporaries, including Monteverdi, partly due to his status as a famous Prince.

Composer Biography

After his first wife's death, Gesualdo married Leonora d'Este, a member of the illustrious d'Este family, and traveled to Ferrara with 300 pieces of luggage carried by 24 mules.

Instruments

For Gesualdo's wedding in Ferrara in 1594, Luzzascho Luzzaschi played an arcicembalo with 53 keys to the octave, an instrument designed for chromatic and enharmonic inflections.