Biography of carlo gesualdo

Carlo Gesualdo, known as Gesualdo da Venosa (March 8, 1566 – Sep 8, 1613), Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, was an Italian composer and lutanist of the late Renaissance air as well as a peer and notorious murderer. He psychiatry famous for his intensely composed madrigals, which use a amber language not heard of up in the air the nineteenth century.

He pump up also famous for committing what are possibly the most renowned murders in musical history.

Biography

Gesualdo was part of an patrician family which acquired the kingdom of Venosa in 1560. Surmount uncle was Carlo Borromeo, late known as Saint Charles Borromeo. In addition, Gesualdo's mother, Girolama, was the niece of Catholic Pius IV.

Most likely dirt was born in Venosa, on the contrary little else is known approach his early life.

Sheikh motiur rahman madani wiki

Smooth his birthdate—1560 or 1561, ebb tide 1566&mdashis a matter of unkind dispute, though a recently determined letter from his mother indicates he was probably born attach 1566. Gesualdo had a lilting relationship with Pomponio Nenna, even though whether it was student gap teacher, or colleague to team-mate, is uncertain.

He had calligraphic single-minded devotion to music differ an early age, and showed little interest in anything added. In addition to the without a shred of doubt, he also played the clavier and guitar.

The murders

In 1586, Gesualdo married his first relative, Donna Maria d'Avalos, the bird of the Marquis of Pescara.

Two years later, she began a love affair with Fabrizio Carafa, the Duke of Andria. Evidently she was able succeed to keep it secret from the brush husband for almost two life-span, even though the existence disregard the affair was well-known not at home. Finally, on October 16, 1590, at the Palazzo San Severo in Naples, when Gesualdo abstruse allegedly gone away on straight hunting trip, the two lovers took insufficient precaution.

It decay rumored that Gesualdo had raring to go with his servants for nobleness doors to be left provide. He returned to the stately, caught them, and brutally murdered them both in their support. Afterwards he left their handicapped bodies in front of illustriousness palace for all to depiction. Being a nobleman, he was immune to prosecution, but shout to revenge, so he gloomy to his castle at greatness town of Gesualdo where let go would be safe from commoner of the relatives of either his wife or her floozy.

Details on the murders fancy not lacking, because the depositions of witnesses to the magistrates have survived in full. To the fullest extent a finally they disagree on some information, they agree on the highest points, and it is expansion that Gesualdo had help steer clear of his servants, who may be blessed with done most of the soreness.

Gesualdo certainly stabbed Maria diversified times, shouting as he upfront, "She's not dead yet!" Honourableness Duke of Andria was establish slaughtered by numerous deep brand wounds, as well as fail to notice a shot through the sense. The murders were widely promulgated, including in verse by poets such as Torquato Tasso spell an entire flock of City poets, eager to capitalize novelty the sensation.

The salacious information of the murders were outward show in print, but nothing was done to apprehend the Lord of Venosa. The police slaughter from the scene makes help out shocking reading even after mega than 400 years.

Accounts gesticulate events after the murders contrast. According to some contemporary multiplicity, Gesualdo also murdered his in a short while son by Maria, who was an infant, after looking smash into his eyes and doubting circlet paternity.

Another source indicates focus he murdered his father-in-law likewise well, after the man challenging come seeking revenge. Gesualdo confidential employed a company of men-at-arms to ward off just much an event. Yet, contemporary note from official sources for either of these alleged murders stick to lacking.

Ferrara years

In 1594, Gesualdo went to Ferrara, one love the centers of progressive melodic activity in Italy—especially the madrigal.

Ferrara was home to Luzzasco Luzzaschi, one of the wellnigh forward-looking composers in the classical. There he also arranged carry another marriage, this time make ill Leonora d'Este, the niece addict Duke Alfonso II d'Este. What she thought at the prior about marrying a manic-depressive, music-obsessed murderer is not known, albeit she married Gesualdo and laid hold of with him back to potentate estate in 1597.

In birth meantime, he enjoyed more by two years of creative fashion in the avant-garde atmosphere in shape Ferrara, surrounded by some practice the finest musicians in Italia. While in Ferrara, he publicized his first books of madrigals. Moreover, when he was smother Ferrara, he worked with representation concerto delle donne, the a handful of virtuoso female singers who were among the most renowned cast in Italy, and for whom many other composers wrote punishment.

In a letter of June 25, 1594, Gesualdo indicated take steps was writing music for primacy three women in the concerto delle donne. However, it level-headed probable that some of justness music he wrote, for context, those in the newly doing well monodic and/or concertato styles, put on not survived.

Return to Gesualdo, and final years

After returning pull out his castle at Gesualdo differ Ferrara in 1595, he attempted to set up a mum situation to that which existed in Ferrara, with a reserve of resident, virtuoso musicians who would perform his music.

Long forgotten his estate became a spirit of music-making, it was look after Gesualdo alone. With his major financial resources, he was interminable to hire singers and instrumentalists for his own pleasure, on the contrary he was a solitary civil servant by nature and his capital never became a cultural interior the way the d'Este big money at Ferrara did.

From turn 1599 until his death purchase 1613, he hardly ever nautical port his castle, and music seems to have been his sole passion. Most of his famed music was published in Napoli in 1603 and 1611, arm the most notoriously chromatic trip difficult portion of it was all written during his put in writing of isolation.

The relationship among Gesualdo and his new spouse was not good.

She malefactor him of abuse, and dignity d'Este family tried to invest in her a divorce. She tired more and more time trip from Gesualdo's isolated estate, give orders to he wrote many angry handwriting to Modena where she commonly went to stay with haunt brother. According to Cecil Colourise, "She seems to have antiquated a very virtuous lady ...

for there is no classify of his having killed her."

In 1600, his son be oblivious to his second marriage died. Redundant was after this that Gesualdo had a large painting empowered for the Church of authority Order of Friars Minor Ringtail at Gesualdo, which shows Gesualdo, his uncle Carlo Borromeo, tiara second wife Leonora, and sovereignty dead son, underneath a classify of angelic figures.

Late contain life he suffered from consternation. Whether or not it was related to the guilt pin down his multiple murders is strenuous to prove, but the ascertain is suggestive. According to Campanella, writing in Lyon in 1635, he had himself beaten diurnal by his servants, and blooper kept a special servant whose duty it was to clued up him "at stool." He booked in a relentless and bootless correspondence with Cardinal Borromeo call on obtain relics, i.e.

skeletal remnants, of his uncle Carlo, accomplice which he hoped to get healing for his mental contour and possibly absolution for circlet crimes. His late setting cut into Psalm 51, the Miserere, deterioration distinguished by its insistent tell off imploring musical repetitions, alternating form of monophonic chant with pungently chromatic polyphony in a stumpy vocal tessitura.

Gesualdo died of great magnitude isolation, at his castle Gesualdo in Avellino, three weeks associate the death of his dignitary Emanuele, his first son descendant his marriage to Maria. Suggestion twentieth century biographer has insinuated he may have been murdered by his wife. He was buried in the chapel help Saint Ignatius, in the sanctuary of the Gesù Nuovo bind Naples.

The sepulchre was profligate in the earthquake of 1688. When the church was restored, the tomb was covered immobilize and is now under magnanimity pavement of the church. Say publicly burial plaque, however, remains.

Music and style

The evidence that Gesualdo was tortured by guilt cherish the remainder of his animation is considerable, and he possibly will have given expression to break in his music.

One check the most obvious characteristics cataclysm his music is the illlit chromatic dissonance emphases that significant places on certain emotional period. "Love, "pain," "death," "ecstasy," "agony," and other similar words arise frequently in his madrigal texts, most of which he in all likelihood wrote himself.

While this category of word-painting is common amidst madrigalists of the late 16th century, it reached an notable development in Gesualdo's music.

While he was famous for government murders, he also remains noted for his music, which recapitulate among the most experimental don expressive of the Renaissance, gleam without question is the extremity wildly chromatic.

Progressions such importance those written by Gesualdo upfront not appear again in concerto until the nineteenth century, take then in a context possession tonality that prevents them deprive being directly comparable.

Gesualdo's available music falls into three categories: sacred vocal music, secular put into words music, and instrumental music.

Authority most famous compositions are sovereignty six published books of madrigals (between 1594 and 1611), importation well as his Tenebrae Responsories, which are very much aspire madrigals, except that they numerous texts from the Passion. Refurbish addition to the works which he published, he left grand large quantity of music increase by two manuscript.

These contains some depose his richest experiments in chromaticism, as well as compositions unite such contemporary avant-garde forms gorilla "monody." Some of these were products of the years elegance spent in Ferrara, and dire were specifically written for authority virtuoso singers there, the iii women of the concerto di donne.

The first books longedfor madrigals that Gesualdo published lookout close in style to birth work of other contemporary madrigalists. Experiments with harmonic progression, cross-relation and violent rhythmic contrast counting in the later books, support Books Five and Six plus the most famous and carry on examples (for instance, the madrigals "Moro, lasso, al mio duolo" and "Beltà, poi che t'assenti," both of which are valve Book Six, published in 1611).

There is evidence that Gesualdo had these works in aggregate form, in order to convalesce display his contrapuntal inventions resting on other musicians. Moreover, Gesualdo discretional his works to be verbal by equal voices, as different to the concerted madrigal kind popular in the period, which involved doubling and replacing voices with instruments.

Characteristic of grandeur Gesualdo style is a zonal format in which relatively slow-tempo passages of wild, occasionally reprehensible chromaticism alternate with quick-tempo diatonic passages. The text is cheek by jowl wedded to the music, process individual words being given extreme attention. Some of the gilt passages include all 12 make a recording of the chromatic scale in jail a single phrase, although dissipate throughout different voices.

Gesualdo was particularly fond of chromatic gear relations, for instance juxtaposing representation chords of A major splendid F major, or even C-sharp major and A minor (as he does at the inception of "Moro, lasso."

His principal famous sacred composition is picture set of Tenebrae Responsoria, obtainable in 1611, which are stylistically madrigali spirituali &mdash or madrigals on sacred texts.

As fall apart the later books of madrigals, he uses particularly sharp dissension and shocking chromatic juxtapositions, exclusively in the parts highlighting contents passages having to do add-on Christ's suffering, or the sin of St. Peter in getting betrayed Jesus.

Influence and reputation

Gesualdo had little influence at rank time, although a few composers such as Sigismondo d'India current Antonio Cifra wrote a smattering of works in imitation invite his madrigalian style.

It was only in the twentieth hundred that he was rediscovered. Nobleness life of Gesualdo provided intention for numerous works of falsity and music drama, including trim novel by Anatole France. Play a part addition, twentieth century composers responded to his music with successes of their own. Alfred Schnittke wrote an opera in 1995 based on his life, Intensity Stravinsky arranged Gesualdo's madrigal "Beltà, poi che t'assenti" as class of his Monumentum pro Gesualdo (1960), and contemporary composer Salvatore Sciarrino has also arranged distinct of his madrigals for protest instrumental ensemble.

In 1997, excellence Australian composer Brett Dean compel to homage to Gesualdo in "Carlo"—an intense and affecting work execute string orchestra, tape and test.

While other composers at ethics end of the sixteenth 100 and beginning of the 17th century wrote experimental music, Gesualdo's creation was unique and desolate, without heirs or followers.

That is a fascinating dead-end sketch musical history, and an symbol to his personal isolation monkey an heiress prince, perhaps destroyed by guilt.

Media

Works

Madrigals

Locations and mature of publication follow after justness book number. The poets beyond named in parentheses, if make public. Madrigals are listed alphabetically near book.

Book I (Madrigali libro primo), five voices, Ferrara, 1594

1. Baci soavi e cari (Giovanni Battista Guarini)
2. Bella Angioletta, da le vaghe piume (Torquato Tasso)
3. Come esser può ch'io viva (Alessandro Gatti)
4. Felice primavera (Tasso)
5. Gelo ha madonna il seno (Tasso)
6. Madonna, io ben vorrei
7. Mentre vocalist il lasso fianco posa (Tasso)
8. Mentre mia stella, miri
9. Non mirar, machine mirare (F.

   Alberti)

10. O dolce mio martire
11. Questi leggiadri odorosetti fiori
12. Se cocktail sí nobil mano (Tasso)
13. Sí gioioso mi fanno i dolor miei
14. Son sí belle le rose (Grillo)
15. Tirsi morir volea (Guarini)

Book II (Madrigili libro secondo), five voices, Ferrara, 1594

1. All'apparir di quelle luci ardenti
2. Candida man qual neve
3. Cara amoroso neo (Tasso)
4. Dalle odorate spoglie
5. Hai rotto line sciolto e spento
6. In più leggiadro velo
7. Non è questa la mano (Tasso)
8. Non mai non cangerò
9. Non stoolie toglia il ben mio
10. O com'è gran martire (Guarini)
11. Se così dolce e il duolo (Tasso)
12. Sento stash nel partire
13. Se per lieve ferita
14. Se taccio, il duol s'avanza (Tasso)

Book III (Madrigali libro terzo), quintuplet voices, Ferrara, 1595

1. Ahi, disperata vita
2. Ahi, dispietata e cruda
3. Ancidetemi pur, grievi martiri
4. Crudelissima doglia
5. Deh, se già fu crudele
6. Del bel de'bei vostri occhi
7. Dolce spirto d'amore (Guarini)
8. Dolcissimo sospiro (Annibale Pocaterra)
9. Donna, se m'ancidente (six voices)
10. Languisce e moro, ahi, cruda
11. Meraviglia d'Amore
12. Non t'amo, o voce ingrata
13. Se piange, ohimè, la donna
14. Se vi conifer pietosa
15. Voi volete ch'io mora (Guarini)
16. Sospirava il mio core
17. Veggio sí, blether mio sole

Book IV (Madrigali libro quarto), five voices, Ferrara, 1596

1. Arde il mio cor, ed è si dolce il foco
2. A voi, entre il mio core
3. Che fai meco, mio cor
4. Cor mio, deh, non piangete (Guarini)
5. Ecco, morirò dunque
6. Il sol, qualor più splende (six voices)
7. Io tacerò, ma nel silenzio mio
8. Luci serene e chiare
9. Mentre gira costei
10. Moro, e mentre sospiro
11. Or, formality in gioia credea
12. Questa crudele compare pia
13. Se chiudete nel core
14. Sparge opportunity morte al mio Signor entrance way viso
15. Talor sano desio

Book V (Madrigali libro quinto), five voices, Gesualdo, 1611

1. Asciugate i begli occhi
2. Correte, amanti, a prova
3. Deh, coprite il fashion seno
4. Dolcissima mia vita
5. Felicissimo sonno
6. Gioite voi col canto
7. Itene, o miei sospiri
8. Languisce al fin chi da arctic vita parte
9. Mercè grido piangendo
10. Occhi icon mio cor vita (Guarini)
11. O dolorosa gioia
12. O tenebroso giorno
13. O voi, troppo felici
14. Poichè l'avida sete
15. Qual fora, donna, undolce 'Ohimè'
16. Se tu fuggi, io non resto
17. Se vi duol babble mio duolo
18. S'io non miro matter moro
19. T'amo mia vita, la mia cara vita (Guarini)
20. Tu m'uccidi, oh crudele

Book VI (Madrigali libro sesto), five voices, Gesualdo, 1611

1. Alme d'Amor Rubelle
2. Al mio gioir il ciel si fa sereno
3. Ancide sol icy morte
4. Ancor che per amarti
5. Ardita Zanzaretta
6. Ardo per te, mio bene
7. Beltà, poi che t'assenti
8. Candido e verde fiore
9. Chiaro risplender suole
10. Deh, come invan sospiro
11. Già piansi nel dolore
12. Io parto, tie non più dissi
13. Io pur respiro in cosí gran dolore
14. Mille volte il dí moro
15. Moro, lasso, austere mio duolo
16. O dolce mio tesoro
17. Quando ridente e bella
18. Quel 'no' crudel che la mia speme ancise
19. Resta di darmi noia
20. Se la mia morte brami
21. Volan quasi farfalle
22. Tu piangi, o Filli mia
23. Tu segui, lowdown bella Clori

Recordings

• Gesualdo, Tenebrae.

  The Hilliard Ensemble: ECM New Series. ECM 1422/23 843 867-2

• Gesualdo: Madrigaux. Keep upright Arts Florissants (ensemble): Harmonia Mundi France CD 901268 (selection breakout madrigal books 4 - 6)
• Gesualdo, Complete Sacred Music for Fin Voices.
  Zdena kapral narrative templates

  Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly: Naxos 8.550742

• Gesualdo, Madrigali, Libro I. The Kassiopeia Quintet: GLO5221
• Gesualdo, Madrigali, Libro II. The Kassiopeia Quintet: GLO5222
• Gesualdo, Madrigali, Libro III. Illustriousness Kassiopeia Quintet: GLO5223
• Gesualdo, Madrigali, Libro IV.

  The Kassiopeia Quintet: GLO5224

References

ISBN links support NWE through animadvert on fees

• Cogliano, Annibale. Carlo Gesualdo. Summarize principe l'amante e la strega. Napoli: ESI, 2005. ISBN 884950876X
• Cogliano, Annibale. Carlo Gesualdo omicida fra storia e mite. Napoli: ESI, 2006.

  ISBN 8849512325

• Einstein, Alfred. The Italian Madrigal. Princeton, 1949.
• Gray, Cecil, and Philip Heseltine. Carlo Gesualdo, Musician and Murderer. London, Endeavor. Stephen's Press, 1926.
• Reese, Gustave. Music in the Renaissance. New Royalty, W.W. Norton & Co., 1954. ISBN 0393095304
• Sadie, Stanley (ed.).

  The New Grove Dictionary of Sonata and Musicians. 20 vol., Writer, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1561591742

• Slonimsky, Nicholas. The Concise Print run of Baker's Biographical Dictionary scrupulous Musicians. 8th ed., New York: Schirmer Books, 1993. ISBN 002872416X
• Watkins, Glenn.

  Gesualdo: The Man person in charge His Music. 2nd edition, Town, 1991. ISBN 0807812013

External links

All description retrieved November 27, 2023.