Chapter 19: 2 Types of Madrigals+

Social music making in the Renaissance

  • while professional musicians were entertaining nobles, more and more amateurs began making music in their homes

  • both professional and amateur music making expanded in the renaissance through secular vocal and instrumental genres

  • study of music seen as part of proper upbringing for girls

    • more women began to play prominent roles in performance of music

    • during later 16 cent in Italy, lots of professional women singers achieved great fame

2 important secular genres from the union of poetry and music

  1. French Chanson

  2. Italian Madrigal (Renaissance secular work)

    • known for its expressive device — word painting (music reflects meaning of words)

    • madrigalisms — effect to depict meaning of text in music (enhances emotional content of music)

Italian Madrigal

  • 16 cent, most. important secular genre of the era

  • aristocratic form of poetry that flourished in italian courts

  • sung as chamber music, one singer per line reading from a part book

  • literature presents renaissance thought and feeling

  • art form in which words and music are linked

  • early period (1525-50) concern was to give pleasure to amateur performances (as it grew, professionals were hired to join)

  • final phase extended into Baroque era

  • the direct expression of the composers musical personality and feelings

  • references to death in madrigal poetry seen a erotic, death an anology for sexual climax

  • Jacques Arcadelt an early master of Italian Madrigal, 16 cent tradition that linked music and lyric poetry

  • Madrigals usually feature expressive text setting, word painting, and multiple meanings

Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)

  • important in later italian madrigal

  • 1st operatic masterwork = Orfeo (based on Greek myth)

  • published 9 books

  • gives this music an emotional intensity

Madrigal in England

  • were often simpler and lighter in style than their Italian counterparts

  • john farmer = organist and master of the choirboys at christ church, in 1599 published 4 voice madrigals. used word painting

  • developed italian madrigal during late 16 cent, during reign of Elizabeth I