Renaissance Sensuality: The Madrigal

Medieval Venus

Renaissance Venus

Medieval BVM

Renaissance BVM

(the sounds themselves) Represent sensuousness or sexuality? Can music (the sounds themselves) Represent sensuousness or sexuality?

The Madrigal =central secular genre of the Renaissance+ celebration of the bodily and sensual Listen for: form; performing forces; texture(s); text connotations Arcadelt, Il bianco e dolce cigno (The White and Sweet Swan) Il bianco e dolce cigno The white and sweet swan, Cantando more ed io singing, dies; and I, Piangendo giung' al fin del viver mio, crying approach the end of my life Stran' e diversa sorte! Such a strange and divergent fate! Ch'ei more sconsolato, For yet he dies in despair Ed io moro beato, and I die content, Morte che nel morire To die that death M'empie di gioia tutto e di desire. Fulfills all my joys and desires. Se nel morir, altro dolor non sento, If by dying I feel no other sadness Di mille mort'il di, sarei contento. I'll be content to die a thousand times a day.

I. The Renaissance Madrigal: Texts Setting of Italian Secular Poetry (erotic, pastoral, or sentimental) B. Poems Short (8-16 lines typical) C. Each line 7 or 11 Syllables D. No fixed rhyme schemes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7 7 11 7 7

Arcadelt, “Il bianco e dolce cigno” Il bianco e dolce cigno The white and sweet swan, Cantando more ed io singing, dies; and I, Piangendo giung' al fin del viver mio, crying approach the end of my life Stran' e diversa sorte! Such a strange and divergent fate! Ch'ei more sconsolato, For yet he dies in despair Ed io moro beato, and I die content, Morte che nel morire To die that death M'empie di gioia tutto e di desire. Fulfills all my joys and desires. Se nel morir, altro dolor non sento, If by dying I feel no other sadness Di mille mort'il di, sarei contento. I'll be content to die a thousand times a day.

I. The Renaissance Madrigal: Texts Setting of Italian Secular Poetry (erotic, pastoral, or sentimental) B. Poems Short (8-16 lines typical) C. Each line 7 or 11 Syllables D. No fixed rhyme schemes E. No refrain (recurring text)

II. The Renaissance Madrigal: Music Form = Through-composed* ABCDE . . . Through-composed form maximizes f it between words/music Sacrifices musical unity *immediate repetition for emphasis still=through-composed

Arcadelt, “Il bianco e dolce cigno” Il bianco e dolce cigno The white and sweet swan, Cantando more || :ed io singing, dies; and I, Piangendo giung' al fin del viver mio, :|| crying approach the end of my life Stran' e diversa sorte! Such a strange and divergent fate! Ch'ei more sconsolato, For yet he dies in despair Ed io moro beato, and I die content, Morte che nel morire To die that death M'empie di gioia tutto e di desire. Fulfills all my joys and desires. Se nel morir, altro dolor non sento, If by dying I feel no other sadness Di mille mort'il di, sarei contento. I'll be content to die a thousand times a day.

II. The Renaissance Madrigal: Music Form = Through-composed* M aximizes fi t between words/music Sacrifices musical unity *immediate repetition for emphasis still=through-composed B. Close Text/Music Correspondences Reflects Sound of the words (speech r hythm; elision) Reflects Stress/Accent (on penultimate syllable) Reflects meaning of words C. Each poetic line becomes 1 section of music (marked by cadence) Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana (homophonic) Long live fair Oriana (imitative polyphonic) D. A cappella (4, later 5 voices = norm) E. Word-Painting or Madrigalism

Examples of Madrigalism or Word-Painting To whom Diana’s darlings came running down amain First two by two, then three by three together, Leaving their goddess all alone, hasted thither; And birdsong and the flowers of the field and the sweet sincerity of lovely women Are now to me as a desert And as pitiless as wild beasts

II. The Renaissance Madrigal: Music Form = Through-composed B. Close Text/Music Correspondences C. Each poetic line becomes 1 section of music (marked by cadence) D. A cappella E. Word-Painting or Madrigalism

Friday Night at Bowdoin

II. The Renaissance Madrigal: Music Form = Through-composed B. Close Text/Music Correspondences C. Each poetic line becomes 1 section of music (marked by cadence) D. A cappella E. Word-Painting or Madrigalism F. Veiled Sexual Allusions

Il bianco e dolce cigno The white and sweet swan, Cantando more singing, dies; Ed io, piangendo and I, crying giung' al fin del viver mio, approach the end of my life Stran' e diversa sorte! Such a strange and divergent fate! Ch'ei more sconsolato, For yet he dies in despair Ed io moro beato, and I die content, Morte che nel morire To die that death M'empie di gioia tutto e di desire. Fulfills all my joys and desires. Se nel morir, altro dolor non sento, If by dying I feel no other sadness Di mille mort'il di, sarei contento. I'll be content to die a thousand times a day.

III. Listening To Madrigals Some Experiments

Il bianco e dolce cigno cantando more The white and sweet swan, Ed io Piangendo singing, dies; and I, giung' al fin del viver mio, crying approach the end of my life Stran' e diversa sorte! Such a strange and divergent fate! Ch'ei more sconsolato, For yet he dies in despair Ed io moro beato, and I die content, Morte che nel morire To die that death M'empie di gioia tutto e di desire. Fulfills all my joys and desires. Se nel morir, altro dolor non sento, If by dying I feel no other sadness Di mille mort'il di, sarei contento. I'll be content to die a thousand times a day.

IV. The English Madrigal A. Musica transalpina (1588) ed. Thomas Younge First Italian Madrigals published in England B. Two Phases in Reception of Italian Madrigals Italian Madrigals “Englished” Original Madrigals by English Composers C. English Madrigal Flourishes 1590s-1610s

"As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending" (publ. 1601 in The Triumphs of Oriana) composer, Thomas Weelkes (c. 1575-1623) As Vesta was from Latmos Hill descending, She spied a maiden Queen the same ascending, Attended on by all the shepherd's swain; To whom Diana's darlings came running down amain First two by two, then three by three together Leaving their Goddess all alone, hasted thither; And mingling with the shepherds of her train, With mirthful tunes her presence did entertain. Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana: Long live fair Oriana!