March 8 - Carlo Gesualdo (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous entries for March 8th may be read here: C. P. E. Bach (2019), Alan Hovhaness (2021), and Carlo Gesualdo

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Carlo Gesualdo (probably 8 March 1566 – 8 September 1613) was an Italian composer who wrote some of the most intensely expressive and dissonant music of the Renaissance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madrigal History 101

Gesualdo, who frequently freshens

His music with tasty transgressions

Of the rules he was taught,

Has a style with a lot

With eccentric harmonic digressions.

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Textual Criticism

Said Gesualdo, “I know I’m excessive

In my efforts toward being expressive,

But a madrigal text

When sufficiently vexed

Can be mightily manic depressive."

 

 

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