Carlo Gesualdo
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(1560 – 1613)
Carlo Gesualdo, known as Gesualdo da Venosa (?8 March 1560 – 8 September 1613), Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, was an Italian composer, lutenist, nobleman, and notorious murderer from the late Renaissance. He is famous for his intensely expressive madrigals, which use a chromatic language not heard again until the 19th century; and he is also famous for committing what are possibly the most famous murders in musical history, of his first wife and her lover.
The evidence that Gesualdo was tortured by guilt for the remainder of his life is considerable, and he may have given expression to it in his music. One of the most obvious characteristics of his music is the extravagant text setting of words representing extremes of emotion: “love”, “pain”, “death”, “ecstasy”, “agony” and other similar words occur frequently in his madrigal texts, most of which he probably wrote himself. While this type of word-painting is common among madrigalists of the late 16th century, it reached an extreme development in Gesualdo’s music.
While he was infamous for his murders, he also remains famous for his music, which is among the most experimental and expressive of the Renaissance, and without question is the most wildly chromatic; progressions such as those written by Gesualdo did not appear again in music until the 19th century, and then in a context of tonality that prevents them from being directly comparable.
The evidence that Gesualdo was tortured by guilt for the remainder of his life is considerable, and he may have given expression to it in his music. One of the most obvious characteristics of his music is the extravagant text setting of words representing extremes of emotion: “love”, “pain”, “death”, “ecstasy”, “agony” and other similar words occur frequently in his madrigal texts, most of which he probably wrote himself. While this type of word-painting is common among madrigalists of the late 16th century, it reached an extreme development in Gesualdo’s music.
While he was infamous for his murders, he also remains famous for his music, which is among the most experimental and expressive of the Renaissance, and without question is the most wildly chromatic; progressions such as those written by Gesualdo did not appear again in music until the 19th century, and then in a context of tonality that prevents them from being directly comparable.
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Madrigaux a 5 voix (Les Arts Florissants)
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Gesualdo: Madrigali libro sesto
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wisbech wrote:
"chromaticism ≠ atonality" - This I understand, but what I don't grasp is how chromaticism and dissonance differ. Is there an objective way to define dissonance?
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catholicbird wrote:
chromaticism ≠ atonality
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joshsiret wrote:
Anyone else like this?
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DaddyPobbin wrote:
<3
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Freund_Hein_ wrote:
Varg Vikernes of the renaissance? ... wtf? Gesualdo may have been a murderer, but he was surely no xenophobic lunatic ... not to speak about the complete lack of any musical commensurability ... change the record, please.
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Seavas wrote:
Using "atonal" to describe music is only slightly less problematic than using "anti-Semitic" to describe anti-Jewish sentiment. :/
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blackless wrote:
His music is more or less atonal (non-tonal), sometimes dissonant, always strange. He was a genius.
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arlaqin wrote:
"Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, was an Italian nobleman, lutenist, composer, and murderer." A true renaissance man.
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nathixx wrote:
the varg vikernes of the renaissance*
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nathixx wrote:
*fear*
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thisisatest343 wrote:
would make more sense if this guy lived in the Middle Ages.
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progtrance7 wrote:
The Varg Vikernes of the Middle Ages [3]
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Gui_HWE wrote:
The Varg Vikernes of the Middle Ages [2]
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SequenceC wrote:
The Varg Vikernes of the Middle Ages
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Mutanteakordeon wrote:
Gesvaldo of doom!
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gwalla wrote:
Gesualdo is totally fucking metal.
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emaskye wrote:
dude has an epic neckbeard
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lelusio wrote:
He was a genius. Anachronism FTW ! [2]
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__kabooki__ wrote:
Any news from the bertolucci topic ? Herzog is a messie !
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Ulysses101 wrote:
"...and notorius murderer of the late Renaissance"... lol at wikipedia... Wikipedia is a good thing, but reading at those notes, I must say that it is only a "notorius meaningless jumble of biographical data of the late Big Brother's era" and it is sad...
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wisbech tagged Carlo Gesualdo with italian, renaissance and early music. 17 hours ago
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EclecticEyez wrote about Carlo Gesualdo – Sacred Music For Five Voices (Oxford Camerata) in a deleted journal. April 2011
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Groups (33)
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