Carlo Gesualdo - Mille volte il dì moro (6th madrigal book) Analysis

[@BarryWaterlow]

*It’s amazing how traditional voice leading, when it is so highly chromatic as this, becomes a highly dramatic tool for a composer. It would be fun to have heard Gesualdo’s singers sing it. My bet is that their familiarly with non equal tempered temperament(s) such as meantone, would have made the work far more dramatic than your recording. Thomas Morley, the gifted English madrigal and lute song composer, in his PLAIN AND EASIE INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICALL MUSICKE (1597) suggests that madrigal singers often uttered audible sighs on rests, in this type of music. That would further dramatize an already dramatic text and musical setting here. It’s wonderful that you’re drawing attention to Gesualdo’s music. Being a very wealthy nobleman he probably had access to the finest madrigal singers available in the Italy of his day. Might this music have been accompanied by a lute?*

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Hey =) Yes, I also find it fascinating to see how innovative and conservative Gesualdo is at the same time. I think it's very probable that Gesualdo's music would have been performed both a capella and accompanied by instruments (lute, harpsichord etc.). If you ask me, I think the singer's at Gesualdo's court would have tried to sing as flexible in temperament as possible, with pure long chords at the ends of phrases, for example pure C# major in bar 11 (this would sound rather terrible in most meantone temperaments). We must bear in mind that Gesualdo knew Vicentino's writings and admired Luzzaschi as a virtuoso on the archicembalo, though we don't know for sure whether Gesualdo could play it himself. Do you know any recording that is expressive than this one? I am fairly content with Delitiae Musicae because I think there is too few ensembles that dare to go even partially as far as they do, though I would be happy to learn that there's more ensembles comparably expressive, and I also think that you can comfortably push the boundaries of text declamation even futher.

[@BarryWaterlow]

This one should be considered xxx rated.