MUSIC 326/526

Madrigals

Italian Madrigals can be divided into early, “Classical,” and Late; there are also English

·         Early Madrigal (1520-~50):

• Origins: may have evolved from Frottola (popular 1480-1520), but also has much in common with French Chanson of early 16^th Century.  Developed by Netherlanders living in Italy, e.g. Jacob Arcadelt, Adrian Willaert, also some Italians

·         Has little in common with 14^th Century madrigal

• Poetry: much freer structure than 14^th Century type; early madrigals often used poetry of Francesco Petrarcha (1304-74), also 16^th Century poets who imitated him.  It was high-quality literature
• Music:

·         Mostly homophonic; frottola had had top voice as most important; in early madrigals, all voices (4 are standard) become more equal in importance

·         A little imitative counterpoint is used

·         restrained expression, but a little text painting used

·         Middle Period “Classical” madrigals.  Composers continued to write “early style” through mid-century, but a new style started around 1540. 

• Composers: esp. students of Adrian Willaert, e.g. Cipriano de Rore, Gioseffo Zarlino (mostly Italians)
• Music:

·         5 voices become standard, sometimes more used

·         more polyphonic texture and more syncopated rhythm than early madrigals

·         more text painting

·         more chromaticism (but not excessive): this was an attempt to revive ancient Greek system of genera.  It was also to make music more expressive of the text

·         tendency to greater drama; freer rhythm makes music almost declamatory

·         texts sometimes very religious/devotional.  Petrarch still popular

·         Late Madrigals (Late 16^th and going into 17^th Century – really a Baroque phenomenon):

• Very elaborate, experimental, more chromaticism
• Lots of text painting, text setting is very declamatory and dramatic
• Greater virtuosic demands
• Use of counterpoint and imitation is inconsistent: some composers use lots, others very little. 
• Most important writer of these is Luca Marenzio (1553-99).  His style is considered culmination of Italian madrigal: very expressive, dramatic, flexible, highly refined.  Text painting is subtle, not obvious
• Another late madrigalist: Carlo Gesualdo (c.1560-1613): an Italian prince, great lutenist, patron of Arts; wrote about 150 madrigals

·         Went farther than Marenzio in transforming madrigal for sake of expression

·         His Madrigal style is most radical of all late madrigalists, esp. in chromaticism. 

• One more madrigal development in 16^th Century Italy is Madrigal Comedy

·         A quasi-theatrical entertainment: light, humorous, might be performed on a stage

·         A set of madrigals probably related by a dramatic plot

·         Example by Alessandro Striggio, Il cicalamento delle donne al bucato (“the chattering of the women at the laundry”)

·         English Madrigal.  In 1588 a volume of Italian madrigals called Musica Transalpina (“Music from across the Alps”) was printed in England with English texts. 

• Music by a combination of Italians and Netherlands composers living in Italy. 
• Started a trend of madrigal writing in England by English composers.  They followed the Italian models in several ways:

·         five voices were the norm

·         imitative polyphonic style with some chordal writing.

·         plenty of text painting.

·      Differences:

·         English madrigals tend to be much more diatonic, and the

·         Texts are much lighter in character, often humorous, and not of the high literary quality of the Italian madrigals. 

·         Some important English madrigal composers were William Byrd, Thomas Morley and John Bennet