May 15, 2017. Monteverdi at 450. Claudio Monteverdi, a pioneering figure and one of the most important composers in the history of European music, was baptized on this day in 1567, making it Monteverdi’s 450th anniversary. For the past two years, we’ve celebrated the genius of Monteverdi with detailed entries (here and here). While Monteverdi is rightly famous as one of the very first composers of opera and the most significant one among the early adopters of this new genre, the bulk of his musical output was in madrigals. He published his first book of madrigals in 1587, when he was twenty years old and still living in Cremona, his place of birth. The last four, Books 6 through 9, were published when Monteverdi was in Venice, having left Mantua in 1612. (The last, ninth book, appeared in print posthumously). As an example, here’s a madrigal from his first book, Baci soavi e cari (it’s performed by The Consort of Musicke with the soprano Emma Kirkby, Anthony Rooley conducting). It’s nice but rather conventional. Considering that both Palestrina (d. 1594) and Orlando di Lasso, who died the same year, were still alive and writing great music, and that Gesualdo was at the peak of his creative power, this is not a very memorable achievement. Compare it, for example, with Orlando’s amazing Carmina crhomatico from Prophetiae Sibyllarum, composed years earlier (here; Ensemble De Labyrintho is conducted by Walter Testolin). Monteverdi’s later motets are very different. Consider, for example, the second motet, Hor che 'l ciel e la terra (Now that the sky, earth and wind are silent, after a sonnet by Petrarch) from Book 8 (here, with Concerto Italiano directed by Rinaldo Alessandrini). It’s operatic in style, with dramatic scenes following serene episodes. Monteverdi himself called it Stile concitato (agitated style) and it certainly is.
Book 8 was published in 1638 but some of the works in it were composed earlier. The set consists of two parts: Madrigals of War (Hor che 'l ciel is one of them) and Madrigals of Love. The war may refer to the terrible events of 1530 during and following the War of Mantuan Succession. Even though Monteverdi was living in Venice, he was considered a citizen of Mantua and was receiving a pension from the Duchy, so these events affected him more than most. Monteverdi left Mantua after the death of the Duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga, in 1612. The sons of Vincenzo, Francesco, who fired Monteverdi, and Ferdinando, died without leaving a male heir. That led to a conflict between the claimants to the duchy, mainly the Holy Roman Empire and France. In July of 1630 the imperial troupes sacked Mantua. That was only part of the tragedy: the invading army also brought the plague. Some of the escaping Mantuans went to Venice and infected that city as well. In the following year, out of Venice’s population of 150,000 almost 50,000 people died. Asking for protection from the Virgin, the city erected the church of Santa Maria della Salute, now part of the Venetian cityscape; music of Monteverdi was played at the foundation ceremony. Whether thru divine intervention or natural causes, by November of 1631 the plague was over. Monteverdi’s mass with the famous Gloria was performed during the celebrations. Rather than playing the excerpts from the Mass, here is one of the Madrigals of Love from Book 8: a lovely Lamento della Ninfa (The Consort of Musicke is conducted by Anthony Rooley).
In April of 1632 Monteverdi entered the priesthood; even so, he continued to write secular music, operas among them. The last one, L’incoronazione di Poppea, was premiered during the Carnival season in 1643. Monteverdi died several months later, on November 29th of that year.
Monteverdi 450!
May 15, 2017. Monteverdi at 450. Claudio Monteverdi, a pioneering figure and one of the most important composers in the history of European music, was baptized on this day in 1567, making it Monteverdi’s 450th anniversary. For the past two years, we’ve celebrated
the genius of Monteverdi with detailed entries (here and here). While Monteverdi is rightly famous as one of the very first composers of opera and the most significant one among the early adopters of this new genre, the bulk of his musical output was in madrigals. He published his first book of madrigals in 1587, when he was twenty years old and still living in Cremona, his place of birth. The last four, Books 6 through 9, were published when Monteverdi was in Venice, having left Mantua in 1612. (The last, ninth book, appeared in print posthumously). As an example, here’s a madrigal from his first book, Baci soavi e cari (it’s performed by The Consort of Musicke with the soprano Emma Kirkby, Anthony Rooley conducting). It’s nice but rather conventional. Considering that both Palestrina (d. 1594) and Orlando di Lasso, who died the same year, were still alive and writing great music, and that Gesualdo was at the peak of his creative power, this is not a very memorable achievement. Compare it, for example, with Orlando’s amazing Carmina crhomatico from Prophetiae Sibyllarum, composed years earlier (here; Ensemble De Labyrintho is conducted by Walter Testolin). Monteverdi’s later motets are very different. Consider, for example, the second motet, Hor che 'l ciel e la terra (Now that the sky, earth and wind are silent, after a sonnet by Petrarch) from Book 8 (here, with Concerto Italiano directed by Rinaldo Alessandrini). It’s operatic in style, with dramatic scenes following serene episodes. Monteverdi himself called it Stile concitato (agitated style) and it certainly is.
Book 8 was published in 1638 but some of the works in it were composed earlier. The set consists of two parts: Madrigals of War (Hor che 'l ciel is one of them) and Madrigals of Love. The war may refer to the terrible events of 1530 during and following the War of Mantuan Succession. Even though Monteverdi was living in Venice, he was considered a citizen of Mantua and was receiving a pension from the Duchy, so these events affected him more than most. Monteverdi left Mantua after the death of the Duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga, in 1612. The sons of Vincenzo, Francesco, who fired Monteverdi, and Ferdinando, died without leaving a male heir. That led to a conflict between the claimants to the duchy, mainly the Holy Roman Empire and France. In July of 1630 the imperial troupes sacked Mantua. That was only part of the tragedy: the invading army also brought the plague. Some of the escaping Mantuans went to Venice and infected that city as well. In the following year, out of Venice’s population of 150,000 almost 50,000 people died. Asking for protection from the Virgin, the city erected the church of Santa Maria della Salute, now part of the Venetian cityscape; music of Monteverdi was played at the foundation ceremony. Whether thru divine intervention or natural causes, by November of 1631 the plague was over. Monteverdi’s mass with the famous Gloria was performed during the celebrations. Rather than playing the excerpts from the Mass, here is one of the Madrigals of Love from Book 8: a lovely Lamento della Ninfa (The Consort of Musicke is conducted by Anthony Rooley).
In April of 1632 Monteverdi entered the priesthood; even so, he continued to write secular music, operas among them. The last one, L’incoronazione di Poppea, was premiered during the Carnival season in 1643. Monteverdi died several months later, on November 29th of that year.