Composer Profile - Activefolio

38 Chapter 4
which flourished in France in the fifteenth century. Machaut was a major composer of
the chanson, and used imitative polyphony to frame the love poetry which normally
comprised its text.
The most advanced secular vocal form of the Renaissance was the madrigal, which
sprang up in Italy and England. Its influence spread throughout Europe by the late 16th
century, and the madrigal became the dominant form through which to express Renaissance
secular poetry. The stylistic features of the madrigal embodied all of the popular
practices found in other types of Renaissance music, including alternation between homophonic
and polyphonic sections, word painting, and extensive use of imitation.
Characteristics of the Renaissance Madrigal
1. Music set to short love poem, usually one stanza.
2. 3 to 6 vocal parts, with one singer per part.
3. Alternating homophonic and polyphonic sections.
4. Music follows and supports text.
5. Unaccompanied voices (a capella).
6. Extensive use of imitation among parts.
The madrigal in Italy went through several stages of development, with the final
stage occurring in the late sixteenth century with the works of Luca Marenzio, Carlo
Gesualdo, and Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643). Monteverdi’s latest madrigals embodied
advanced ideas for word painting, including astute use of dissonance and chromaticism
to accent the meaning of the text. Often, the texts of late Italian madrigals
were highly sensuous in nature; the tension applied by the use of chromaticism only
heightened the romantic tension of the poetry.
Composer Profile
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
Claudio Monteverdi was born in Cremona, Italy, in 1567, and displayed an
early aptitude for music. He learned to play the organ and viol, and published
his first composition at age fifteen. Also a singer, he worked with the
Duke of Mantua for many years, composing madrigals and other miscellaneous
secular works. He was the first successful composer of operas, producing Orfeo
in February of 1607. The success of this opera was due to Monteverdi’s use of
arias and dramatic recitatives, making the entire work much more palatable for
the average listener. Monteverdi’s early operas helped establish the differences
among recitatives, arias, and ensemble pieces as separate forms. In addition,
Monteverdi composed nine books of madrigals, often employing the latest trends
in chromaticism and harmony. In 1632, Monteverdi took the holy orders, and
spent much of the rest of his life composing sacred works, including the famous
Vespers. He died in Venice in 1643, and is remembered as one of the most important
musical figures to bridge the Renaissance and Baroque musical periods.