One of the great charms of a collection of madrigals is the enormous variety of moods and musical forms. Pieces ranging from the simplest composition to the most intricate polyphonic structure, from the lightest pastoral whimsy to the darkest and most tortured expression of spiritual self-analysis, may be found together. Though its popularity spread rapidly throughout Europe in the latter part of the 16th century, the madrigal is an Italian invention. Although the origin of the word "madrigal" is by no means conclusively established, there is good reason to link it with the Italian matricale, implying a work written in the mother tongue, the language of the everyday world, as opposed to Latin, the language of the Church.
The Italian madrigal flowered during the second half of the 16th and the first quarter of the 17th centuries as a continually evolving synthesis of three separate kinds of vocal composition. The first is the frottola, a type of tune with accompaniment. The second element was the more modern Franco-Flemish style of imitative polyphony, which was introduced into Northern Italy during the course of the 16th century by a host of Flemish composers employed to enrich the culture and reputation of the courts. Third is the chanson, a French import, which combined simply harmonized tunes with extravagant texts and effects—imitations of farmyard noises or the clashing of swords.
These disparate elements are cemented together by the Italian text. The madrigal in Italy is fundamentally an expression of poetic concepts. Treatment of the text is heavily influenced by the rhythmic patterns of courtly dance, a pastime important to well bred Italians of the age, and with this in mind we have included in this collection some dances for the harp by Negri and Mainerio, as well as one example, So ben, mi, c'ha bon tempo, which exists both in played and sung versions. The performance here reproduces the original dance form. The harp is an Italian double harp of the period.
Perhaps the most notable trademark of the Italian madrigalists is their extraordinarily inventive textural expression. The most extreme example is to be found among the works of Gesualdo, whose use of dissonance and irrational chord progression reaches a peak in pieces such as Moro, lasso, al mio duolo, and whose original harmonic imagination was a source of wonder even to Stravinsky. Listen also to the strange progressions at the end of Marenzio's Cruda Amarilli, to the chromatic beginning and alternating major/minor tonalities in Caimo's Piangete valli, and to the rich variety of styles in Monteverdi's three offerings: Lasciatemi morire, with its plangent tragic harmonies; Quel augellin che canta, a flutter of runs; and Zefiro torna, lurching between cheerful optimism and blackest depression. Nothing could be simpler or more charming than Gabrieli's Due rose fresche, more uncom-plicatedly cheerful than Gastoldi's Viver lieto voglio, or more down to earth than Lasso's bawdy Matona mia cara. The infinite variety of Italian madrigals offers something for any mood and every occasion.
These disparate elements are cemented together by the Italian text. The madrigal in Italy is fundamentally an expression of poetic concepts. Treatment of the text is heavily influenced by the rhythmic patterns of courtly dance, a pastime important to well bred Italians of the age, and with this in mind we have included in this collection some dances for the harp by Negri and Mainerio, as well as one example, So ben, mi, c'ha bon tempo, which exists both in played and sung versions. The performance here reproduces the original dance form. The harp is an Italian double harp of the period.
Perhaps the most notable trademark of the Italian madrigalists is their extraordinarily inventive textural expression. The most extreme example is to be found among the works of Gesualdo, whose use of dissonance and irrational chord progression reaches a peak in pieces such as Moro, lasso, al mio duolo, and whose original harmonic imagination was a source of wonder even to Stravinsky. Listen also to the strange progressions at the end of Marenzio's Cruda Amarilli, to the chromatic beginning and alternating major/minor tonalities in Caimo's Piangete valli, and to the rich variety of styles in Monteverdi's three offerings: Lasciatemi morire, with its plangent tragic harmonies; Quel augellin che canta, a flutter of runs; and Zefiro torna, lurching between cheerful optimism and blackest depression. Nothing could be simpler or more charming than Gabrieli's Due rose fresche, more uncom-plicatedly cheerful than Gastoldi's Viver lieto voglio, or more down to earth than Lasso's bawdy Matona mia cara. The infinite variety of Italian madrigals offers something for any mood and every occasion.
01. Lasso: Matona mia cara (2:11)
02. Lasso: S'io esca vivo (3:31)
03. Andrew Lawrence-King - Negri: Torneo amoroso (harp solo) (2:19)
04. Marenzio: Già torna a rallegrar l'aria e la terra (2:02)
05. Marenzio: Cruda Amarilli (4:19)
06. Andrew Lawrence-King - Negri: Leggiardra marina (harp solo) (4:12)
07. Arcadelt: Il biano e dolce cigno (2:14)
08. Monte: Leggiadre ninfe (3:00)
09. Caimo: Piangete valli (2:54)
10. Gastoldi: Viver lieto voglio (2:58)
11. Gabrieli A.: Due rose fresche (3:12)
12. Andrew Lawrence-King - Negri: Alta Mendozza (harp solo) (1:59)
13. Gesualdo: Moro, lasso, al mio duolo (3:53)
14. Gesualdo: Luci serene e chiare (3:30)
15. Mainerio: Ballo furlano (2:58)
16. Wert: Vezzosi augelli (2:17)
17. Monteverdi: Lasciatemi morire: Lamento d'Arianna (2:14)
18. Monteverdi: Quel augellin che canta (1:52)
19. Monteverdi: Zefiro torna (3:29)
20. Vecchi: So ben, mi, c'ha bon tempo (2:49)
Gesualdo: Moro, lasso, al mio duolo
Monteverdi: Lasciatemi morire: Lamento d'Arianna
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