His most famous compositions are his six books of madrigals, published between 1594 and 1611, as well as his tenebrae. Sestetto italiano luca marenzio library of congress. The authors of the poems that gesualdo set to music are in some cases known, and in others unknown. The marriage unfolded quietly until the tragic events of october 1590. Few matched him in writing music so removed from traditional modal theory and practice. Four years earlier, heseltine had collaborated with the scottish critic and composer cecil gray on the book carlo gesualdo, prince of venosa, musician and murderer, a mixture of biography.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Carlo gesualdo composer 156116 play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical music site on the web. Molinaro collection of 16, reveals the composers fully mature style, and was written in imitation and rivalry, a common practice among madrigal composers, of nennas works. Fatica di simone molinaro maestro di capella nel duomo di genoua. Carlo gesualdo collegium vocale koln wolfgang fromme. Gesualdo also wrote music, publishing six books of madrigals and three books of sacred. He is famous for his intensely expressive madrigals, which use a chromatic language not heard again until the 19th century, and also for committing. The third book, responsoria 1611, represents gesualdo s final musical statement. Carlo gesualdo da venosa 156616 the fifth and sixth book of madrigals, 1611. Carlo gesualdo, principe di venosa, conte di conza, italian composer and lutenist. Especially notable are gesualdo s chromaticism, modal counterpoint, and rhythmic invention in these 23 madrigals. These six books of madrigals are all for five voices. Carlo gesualdo gesualdo dida venosa 8 march 1566 8 september 16 performers.
The seventh book of madrigals are for six voices and are not included in this set. Begin by studying carefully the score for carlo gesualdos moro, lasso, al mio duolo from his madrigals for five voices, book vi publ. Books v and vi did not appear until 1611, but in these editions, gesualdo states the madrigals were written 15 years prior to the date of publication, and were printed. Carlo gesualdo, principe di venosa, conte di conza. The third book, responsoria 1611, represents gesualdos final musical statement. He lived in the late part of the renaissance period. But it is how alex ross, the esteemed critic of the new yorker describes don carlo gesualdo, who died 400 years ago this week and badass gesualdo indisputably was, both as a musician and as a man. Carlo gesualdo bio, albums, pictures naxos classical music.
The man and his music don carlo gesualdos last book of madrigals book vi contains some of the most extraordinary harmonic thinking in the history of western music it lives on the edge of modality, its chromatic lines forming chord progressions that still sound fresh and unpredictable to modern ears. The gesualdo six performing arts facebook 583 photos. Among the most noteworthy of the pieces from these late collections published just two years before. Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at. However, the bestknown fact of his life is his brutal killing of his first wife and her aristocratic lover upon.
This is a list of compositions by carlo gesualdo 156616, the prince of venosa madrigals. The gesualdo six are a vocal consort directed by owain park 5 tracks. Place and year of publication follows after the book number. Her union with carlo gesualdo, marked in 1586 with high ceremony and lavish feasting, eventually yielded a son and heir. He wrote a quantity of sacred and secular vocal music and a relatively small number of instrumental pieces. Until the late 20th century his fame rested chiefly on his dramatic, unhappy, and often bizarre life. Following the murders of maria and her lover, don carlo took to his castle in gesualdo, more to escape reprisals by his dead wifes family than to evade. Gesualdo, c madrigals, books 5 and 6 madrigali libro. Carlo gesualdo da venosa probably 8 march 1566 8 september 16 was prince of venosa and count of conza. Carlo gesualdo 1561 16 carlo gesualdo, prince of venosa, murderer in 1590 of his guilty wife and her lover, later took a wife from the deste family, rulers of ferrara, whose musical interests coincided with his own. Refund policy, no drm protection and pricing is per second. The first two, entitled sacre cantiones, appeared in 1603, and in the second book gesualdo expanded his usual fivepart texture into six and seven parts, though two of the partbooks are lost. Carlo s father was prince of venosa, and his mother was the niece of thencurrent pope.
Carlo gesualdo, principe di venosa, conte di conza italian. As a composer he is known for writing intensely expressive madrigals and pieces of sacred music that use a chromatic language not heard again until the late 19th century. This set offers extremely good value for money for a nicely presented box set of 6 cds, featuring the first. First and foremost he was a prince, a rich and powerful man.
Don carlo gesualdo 1 don carlo gesualdo 2, prince of venosa ca. Moro, lasso, al mio duolo, madrigal for 5 voices book 6 w. Young carlo was born around 1561, probably in the gesualdo palace in naples, about the same time. Discover the most beautiful madrigals from the renaissance duration. Such visceral settings were the forte of carlo gesualdo, whose last two books of madrigals his fifth and sixth, both published in 1611 are especially noted for their use of intense chromaticism in vividly rendering the lovedeath metaphor. Carlo gesualdo, known as gesualdo da venosa march 8, 1566 september 8, 16, prince of venosa and count of conza, was an italian music composer, lutenist and nobleman of the late renaissance. He is famous for his intensely expressive madrigals, which use a chromatic language not heard again until the 19th century, and also for committing what are amongst the most notorious murders in. Mar 18, 2010 thats the myth, at least, but a brilliant new book by glenn watkins, the gesualdo hex, reveals theres much more to the story. Since the late 20th century, however, his reputation as a musician has grown, based on his highly individual and. Music division marenzio, luca vecchi, orazio monteverdi, claudio gesualdo, carlo library of congress. This is a list of compositions by carlo gesualdo 156616, the prince of venosa. Find the latest tracks, albums, and images from carlo gesualdo.
Both the fifth and sixth books of madrigals by carlo gesualdo, prince of. This splendid threecd set is the fifth and last in the series on naxos by deliti. As a composer he is known for writing intensely expressive madrigals and pieces of. Gesualdo s madrigali a cinque voci, libro sesto, published in the s. Composer, aristocrat, double murderer, carlo gesualdo has had a mixed press over the years. Carlo gesualdo collegium vocale koln wolfgang fromme madrigals from bookvi.
The gesualdo six is a vocal consort directed by owain park. Begin by studying carefully the score for carlo gesualdo s moro, lasso, al mio duolo from his madrigals for five voices, book vi publ. Since then the cycle has gone from strength to strength. This is available as a pdf file at the werner icking music archive. Gesualdo, c madrigals, books 5 and 6 madrigali libro quinto e sesto, 1611 delitiae musicae, longhini published together in 1611, gesualdos fifth and sixth books of madrigals can be seen as musical twins, concluding a collection of madrigals by a composer whose boundless invention and creativity was unrestrained by an employers demands or the constraints of courtly convention.
Carlo gesualdo, known as gesualdo da venosa born probably 8 march 1566. Book iii 1595 shows a decreased reliance on preexisting settings, and by book iv 1596, all the texts used are original. Order from your preferred classical music cd store. Both the fifth and sixth books of madrigals by carlo gesualdo, prince of venosa, were published in 1611 in gesualdo, the village which takes its name from the composers ancient aristocratic. The man and his music don carlo gesualdo s last book of madrigals book vi contains some of the most extraordinary harmonic thinking in the history of western music it lives on the edge of modality, its chromatic lines forming chord progressions that still sound fresh and unpredictable to modern ears. Gesualdo collegium vocale koln madrigals from book vi. He studied music at the academy founded by his father, don fabrizio of gesualdo, where he heard the works of giovanni.
New lurid details add to our conception of the composer as a. Nov 11, 2016 its now generally accepted by scholars that carlo gesualdo, prince of venosa and italian composer extraordinaire, was born 450 years ago, in 1566. Elizabeth sprague coolidge foundation banchieri, adriano date. I have other recordings of all six books of madrigals by carlo gesualdo 156616 by other. Listen to music from carlo gesualdo like feria quinta, tenebrae responsories for maundy thursday. Gesualdo, c madrigals, books 5 and 6 madrigali libro quinto e.