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Renaissance Sensuality: The Madrigal. Medieval Venus. Renaissance Venus. Medieval BVM. Renaissance BVM. Can music (the sounds themselves) Represent sensuousness or sexuality?. The Madrigal. =central secular genre of the Renaissance+ celebration of the bodily and sensual.
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Renaissance Sensuality: The Madrigal
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 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 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
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!