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Welcome to Harmonia... I’m Angela Mariani. This hour, we’re diving deep into the endless depths of the Italian madrigal, a genre that expresses the gamut of human emotions. We’ll focus on one composer in particular: Claudio Monteverdi, whose eight books of madrigals published over a span of 40 years during his lifetime redefined what vocal music could accomplish. From the most fulfilling and boundless love to the almost unspeakable depths of sorrow, the music Monteverdi wrote to accompany vivid poetry gave voice to ineffable qualities of the human spirit. Plus, our featured recording comes from Concerto Italiano’s complete edition of Monteverdi’s madrigals, released in 2023.
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MUSIC TRACK
Monteverdi: Complete Madrigals
Le Nuove Musiche
Brilliant Classics | BC96869 (2022)
Tr. 1 Ch’ami la vita mia nel tuo bel nome, SV 23 (1:57)
Tr. 5 Baci soave e cari, SV 27 (2:32)
Le Nuove Musiche sang two madrigals from Monteverdi’s Il primo libro de madrigali, his first book of madrigals, published in 1587. First, we heard “Ch’ami la vita mia,” the opening piece of the collection. The title literally translates to “May I love my life in your name,” / but is also a play on words. The first two words of the title, “Ch’ami” [pause] and “la,” sound like the woman’s name “Camilla,” when spoken together. She is the object of affection in the poem. / After that, we heard “Baci soave e cari,” a madrigal about the intensity and sweetness of love.
Monteverdi published his fourth book of madrigals in 1603. The fourth book would become one of his most popular publications, reprinted seven times and known throughout Europe. We’ll hear three pieces from this collection that represent the range of Monteverdi’s style.
First, the madrigal “Sfogava con le stelle” tells the story of a lovesick man venting his frustration to the stars. He compares the beauty of the stars to his beloved that, sadly, does not love him back. He begs the stars to influence her so that she will sparkle with admiration for him just as brightly as the stars sparkle in the night sky.
MUSIC TRACK
Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book 4
Consort of Musick
Decca | 00028947892595 (2016)
Tr. 4 Sfogava con le stelle, SV 78 (3:18)
The madrigal “Sfogava con le stelle,” by Monteverdi, sung by the Consort of Musick.
[Next,] the madrigals “Ohimè” and “Si ch’io vorei” are settings of witty (and succinct) poems, both with sexual overtones. The word “ohimè” is a figure of exasperation in Italian. Monteverdi sets the word “ohimè” with a sighing figure that we hear at the beginning of the piece. The first half of the madrigal has a brooding quality, reminiscent of a pouting child. The second half is more cheerful. The poet switches from sadness to hopefulness and assures his beloved that if she chooses to love him, he will give her one-thousand sweet sighs. It’s easy to infer what the poet really means here.
Then, our final madrigal from book four is “Si ch’io vorrei morire,” which means “Yes, I would like to die.” The poet does not mean death in a literal sense but, rather, [quote] “the little death,” which was the poetic way to imply sexual climax. / Monteverdi captures the tempestuousness of the text with devices like chains of suspensions and a wide variety of harmony, often resolving phrases in unexpected places.
MUSIC TRACK
Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book 4
Consort of Musick
Decca | 00028947892595 (2016)
Tr. 12 Ohimé, se tanto amate, SV 85 (2:40)
Tr. 16 Sí ch’io vorrei morire, SV89 (2:55)
Two pieces from Monteverdi’s fourth book of madrigals sung by the Consort of Musick. First, we heard “Ohimé, se tanto amate,” followed by “Si ch’io vorrei morire.”
[Monteverdi’s fifth book of madrigals was published in 1605 and the topic of considerable debate. The theorist Giovanni Artusi criticized several madrigals from the fourth and fifth books, claiming they were written poorly because Monteverdi broke common rules of harmony. Monteverdi embraced this new [quote] “second practice” of music in which the text guided the harmony, rather than the other way around. For Monteverdi, conveying the meaning of the words was most important, even if he broke some musical rules.]
Let’s hear two madrigals from the fifth book that deal with the pastoral figure of Amaryllis, a beautiful shepherdess. The madrigal “Cruda Amarilli” takes its text from the Pastor Fido, a pastoral drama written by Guarini in 1589. The poet begins by calling Amaryllis cruel because she does not love him. He describes her purity and beauty in detail. This is one of the madrigals in which Monteverdi breaks some of those compositional rules we mentioned about resolving musical dissonances, as a way (to) musically represent the anguish of the poet.
In a similar vein, the madrigal “M’e più dolce il penar per Amarilli” expresses the poets love for Amaryllis even though she does not return it. The poet writes, “I find more sweetness in suffering for Amaryllis than in the joy of a thousand others.” His devotion to her is overpowering, so much that he will never be able to love another woman again.
MUSIC TRACK
Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book 5
La Venexiana
Glossa | GCD920925 (2007)
Tr.1 Cruda Amarilli, SV 94 (2:55)
Tr. 7 M’e più dolce il penar per Amarilli (3:32)
La Venexiana sang two madrigals from Monteverdi’s fifth book, published in 1605. First, we heard “Cruda Amarilli,” followed by “M’e più dolce.”
You’re listening to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani.
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Early music can mean a lot of things. What does it mean to you? Let us know your thoughts and ideas. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org, where you’ll also find playlists and an archive of past shows.
You’re listening to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani.
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MUSIC TRACK
Reincken: Hortus musicus
The Purcell Quartet
Chandos | CHAN0664 (2001)
Tr. 4 Courant (:59 excerpt of 1:55)
Welcome back to Harmonia. This hour, we’re exploring the madrigals of Monteverdi encapsulated in his nine collections published at the turn of the seventeenth century.
We turn now to “Lamento d’Arianna” from Monteverdi’s sixth book of madrigals, published in 1614 and adapted from an opera recitative. Monteverdi’s opera Arianna premiered in 1608 at a wedding for the royal Gonzaga family in Mantua. The plot of the opera comes from the Greek myth of Theseus, who defeats the monster Minotaurus but abandons his love, Arianna, on the island of Naxos. Arianna delivers her recitative after Theseus abandons her. Over the course of the scene, Arianna works through a multitude of emotions. The score of the opera has been lost, so the only glimpse of the music we have is this lament.
The madrigal opens with a reserved cry of anguish as Arianna questions her fate. From the outset, Monteverdi’s tonal language is evocative of the text – the basses begin in stark dissonance with the higher voices. Next, Arianna grapples with her grief and even begs Theseus to return. We hear her grief solidify into anger as the texture thickens. Arianna’s anger boils over and she curses Theseus. Monteverdi juxtaposes Arianna’s anger with moments of profound sensitivity and beauty. This madrigal truly highlights the range of Monteverdi’s expressive abilities.
MUSIC TRACK
Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book 5 and 6
Disk 2: Book 6
Le Nuove Musiche
Brilliant Classics | BC95659 (2018)
Trs.1-4 Lamento d’Arianna (10:52)
The “Lamento d’Arianna” from Monteveredi’s sixth book of madrigals performed by Le Nuove Musiche.
You’re listening to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani.
Our featured release this hour comes from the ensemble Concerto Italiano led by harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini. In 2023, the Naïve Classique label issued a complete recording of Monteverdi’s nine books of madrigals. The ambitious project spans the last 30 years of Concerto Italiano’s career – they recorded Monteverdi’s fourth book in 1993 and concluded their project by recording Monteverdi’s first and last books in 2023.
The pieces we’re featuring from this recording come from Monteverdi’s eighth book, which is comprised of two sets: the Madrigali guerrieri and the Madrigali amarosi – madrigals of war and madrigals of love. With his eighth book, Monteverdi extended the possibilities of the madrigal genre and codified the “stile concitato,” which means “agitated style,” as a way to depict anger or stress.
Our first piece, “Hor che’l ciel e la terra,” is one of the 11 “madrigals of war.” The text comes from a collection of sonnets called Canzoniere written by the early humanist poet Francesco Petrarch. The Canzoniere expresses the poet’s love for a woman named Laura and his grief after her death.
[With Petrarch’s evocative and anguished poetry, it is no wonder that this madrigal is one of Monteverdi’s longest and most well-known. Listen for the quick changes from grief to joy as the poet recalls a special memory with Laura, only to remind himself of all that he has lost, as the music sinks back into despair.]
MUSIC TRACK
Monteverdi: Tutti I Madrigali
Concerto Italiano
Naïve | OP7547 (2023)
Trs. 196-197 Hor che’l ciel e la terra (10:24)
Concerto Italiano performs “Hor che’l ciel e la terra,” one of the madrigals of war from Monteverdi’s eighth book.
Let’s end the hour with two madrigals of love: “Ardo e scoprir” and “Su, su, su pastorelli vezzosi.” The first madrigal is a duet that expresses the poet’s nervousness of confessing his desire for his beloved. The second is a pastoral ode to nature. It begins, “Up, up, up, you graceful shepherds--run, come to see, enjoy the pleasant breezes that bring us laughter. The beautiful dawn is rising.”
MUSIC TRACK
Monteverdi: Tutti I Madrigali
Concerto Italiano
Naïve | OP7547 (2023)
Tr. 207 Ardo e scoprir, ahi lasso, io non ardisco (3:26)
Tr. 206 Su, su, su pastorelli vezzosi (2:30)
Two madrigals of love from Monteverdi’s eighth book: “Ardo e scoprir” and “Su, su, su pastorelli vezzosi,” performed by the Concerto Italiano, from their 2023 release of the complete recordings of Monteverdi’s nine books of madrigals.
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Harmonia is a production of WFIU and part of the educational mission of Indiana University.
Support comes from Early Music America: a national organization that advocates and supports the historical performance of music of the past, the community of artists who create it, and the listeners whose lives are enriched by it. On the web at EarlyMusicAmerica-dot-org.
Additional resources come from the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
We welcome your thoughts about any part of this program, or about early music in general. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org. You can follow us on Facebook by searching for Harmonia Early Music.
The writer for this edition of Harmonia is Travis Whaley.
Thanks to our studio engineer Michael Paskash, and our production team: LuAnn Johnson, Aaron Cain, and John Bailey. I’m Angela Mariani, inviting you to join us again for the next edition of Harmonia.
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