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16th century Italian Madrigal repertoire consisted of musical compositions that were designed for at least two voices. This particular genre combined poetry and music into a perfect harmonious blend. Introduced in Italy in the 14th century, the repertoire was revived in a slightly altered form, later in the 16th century. During this period, English, French, German, and Spanish composers were also ready and willing to "jump on the bandwagon".
Though the compositions were distinctive, there were certain standards that applied universally. For example, .the poem most often consisted of two or three stanzas, each three lines long, followed by a refrain of two rhyming lines. The primary guideline for the music was that it was usually designed for two voices or parts.
The 16th-century madrigal was conceived more as tribute to vocal chamber music than a solely a piece for chorus. Early madrigals generally put the melody in the forefront, with a four-voice underlying accompaniment weaving the composition together. Madrigals of the middle stage, the heart of the 16th century, tended to replicate the sounds of nature or people, and most often incorporated two or more independent voice parts. By the time madrigals had reached their truest stage of maturity, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, bold harmonic progressions were the qualifying characteristic of this repertoire. The prevalent use of tones that ventured outside the realms of traditional keys or modes generated spectacularly expressive and impressive sound effects. Solo voices were also used in abundance during this time, and there were no longer “rules” about the length and rhyme scheme of the poetry.
Don Carlo Gesualdo was one of the finest and most innovative composers of Italian madrigals in the late Renaissance. He published his first four books of madrigals between 1594 and 1596. Although the works from his early career have been labeled "conservative", his later madrigals evolved into a more chromatic and sensual style of composition. His later compositions, which included two books of madrigals and three volumes of sacred works, were characterized by “fragmented poetry, unconventional cadences, exaggerated rhetorical devices, ambiguous successions of chords, and a free mixture of counterpoint and homophony.” His music’s sudden changes of tonality, harmony and intensity of feeling made his madrigals particularly intriguing.
One of Gesualdo’s most memorable madrigals was Dolcissima mia vita, a haunting piece which used dissonance and strange harmonic progressions that were way ahead of their time. This piece is laden with quick and sudden tempo changes, and every emotion is wrung out to achieve the ultimate emotional effect. In addition, the texts are often highly erotic, masterfully highlighting the passion of the music with intensity of the words.
Gesualdo used this work and others like it to breathe life into the music of his time, while painting the canvas of his melodies with genuine poetry and expressive depth. In fact, Gesualdo’s madrigals were considered to be so remarkable that they were published shortly after his death as one of the earliest examples of a printed full score.
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