Tag Archives: Baroque music

Claudio Monteverdi: Complete Works

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Excerpted from Wikipedia

Monteverdi’s works are split into three categories: madrigals, operas, and church-music.

Madrigals

Until the age of forty, Monteverdi worked primarily on madrigals, composing a total of nine books. It took Monteverdi about four years to finish his first book of twenty-one madrigals for five voices. As a whole, the first eight books of madrigals show the enormous development from Renaissancepolyphonic music to the monodic style typical of Baroque music.

Book 1, 1587: Madrigali a cinque voci

  • Book 2, 1590: Il secondo libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 3, 1592: Il terzo libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 4, 1603: Il quarto libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 5, 1605: Il quinto libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 6, 1614: Il sesto libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 7, 1619: Concerto. Settimo libro di madrigali
  • Book 8, 1638: Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi con alcuni opuscoli in genere rappresentativo, che saranno per brevi episodi fra i canti senza gesto.
  • Book 9, 1651: Madrigali e canzonette a due e tre voci

The Fifth Madrigal Book

The Fifth Book of Madrigals shows the shift from the late Renaissance style of music to the early Baroque. The Quinto Libro (Fifth Book), published in 1605, was at the heart of the controversy between Monteverdi and Giovanni Artusi. Artusi attacked the “crudities” and “license” of the modern style of composing, centering his attacks on madrigals (including Cruda Amarilli, composed around 1600) (See Fabbri, Monteverdi, p. 60) from the fourth book. Monteverdi made his reply in the introduction to the fifth book, with a proposal of the division of musical practice into two streams, which he called prima pratica, and seconda pratica. Prima pratica was described as the previous polyphonic ideal of the sixteenth century, with flowing strict counterpoint, prepared dissonance, and equality of voices.Seconda pratica used much freer counterpoint with an increasing hierarchy of voices, emphasizing soprano and bass. In Prima pratica the harmony controls the words. In Seconda pratica the words should be in control of the harmonies. This represented a move towards the new style of monody. The introduction of continuo in many of the madrigals was a further self-consciously modern feature. In addition, the fifth book showed the beginnings of conscious functional tonality.

The Eighth Madrigal Book

While in Venice, Monteverdi also finished his sixth (1614), seventh (1619), and eighth (1638) books of madrigals. The eighth is the largest, containing works written over a thirty-year period. Originally the work was to be dedicated to Ferdinand II, but because of his ill health, his son was made king in December 1636. When the work was first published in 1638 Monteverdi rededicated it to the new King Ferdinand III. The eighth book includes the so-calledMadrigali dei guerrieri et amorosi (Madrigals of War and Love).

The important preface of Monteverdi’s eighth madrigal book seems to be connected with his seconda pratica. He claims to have invented a new “agitated” style (Genere concitato, later called Stile concitato). 

The book is divided into sections of War and Love each containing madrigals, a piece in dramatic form (genere rappresentativo), and a ballet. In the Madrigals of War, Monteverdi has organized poetry that describes the pursuits of love through the allegory of war; the hunt for love, and the battle to find love. In the second half of the book, theMadrigals of Love, Monteverdi organized poetry that describes the unhappiness of being in love, unfaithfulness, and ungrateful lovers who feel no shame. In his previous madrigal collections, Monteverdi usually set poetry from one or two poets he was in contact with through the court where he was employed. The Madrigals of War and Loverepresent an overview of the poets he has dealt with throughout his life; the classical poetry of Petrarch, poetry by his contemporaries (Tasso, Guarini, Marino, Rinuccini, Testi and Strozzi), or anonymous poets who Monteverdi found and adapted to his needs.

Madrigals of War

  1. Altri canti d’Amor tenero arciero (Let others sing of Love, the tender archer) anonymous sonnet
    1. is preceded by a sinfonia introduction that is written for two violins and four viols. The madrigal that follows serves as an introduction to the first half of the collection and as a dedication to Ferdinand III.
  2. Hor che’l ciel e la terra e’l vento tace (Now that the sky, earth and wind are silent) Sonnet by Petrarch,
    1. is the first significant poetic work of the collection in which Monteverdi splits into two sections. In the first section, his poetry introduces the idea of the wars of love, in which he yearns for someone to love him.
      1. “War is my condition full of anger and grief, and only when thinking of her do I find some peace.“
      2. In the second section, “Thus from a single bright and living fountain” (Cosi sol d’una chiara fonte viva) the symbolism of war continues:
        1. “One hand alone cures me and wounds me. And, because my suffering never reaches its limits, a thousand times daily I die, and a thousand I am born, so far am I from my salvation.“
      3. Gira il nemico insidioso Amore (The insidious enemy, Love, circles the citadel of my heart) canzonetta by Strozzi
      4. Se vittorie si belle han le guerre d’amore (If love’s wars have such beautiful victories) madrigal by Testi
      5. Armato il cor d’adamanina fede (My heart armed with adamantine faith) madrigal by Rinuccini
      6. Ogni amante e guerrier: nel suo gran regno (Every lover is a warrior: in his great kingdom) madrigal by Rinuccini
      7. Ardo, avvampo, mi struggo, ardo: accorrete (I burn, I blaze, I am consumed, I burn; come running) anonymous sonnet
      8. Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda) from Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata, Canto XII
        1. was originally composed and performed at the home of Girolamo Mocenigo (1624) and includes the dramatic scene in which the orchestra and voices form two separate entities, acting as counterparts. Most likely Monteverdi was inspired to try this arrangement because of the two opposite balconies in San Marco. What made this composition also stand out is the first-time use of string tremolo (fast repetition of the same tone) and pizzicato (plucking strings with fingers) for special effect in dramatic scenes.
      9. Introduzione al ballo e ballo: Volgendo il ciel (Introduction to the ballet, and ballet) sonnet by Rinuccini

      Madrigals of Love

      1. Altri canti di Marte e di sua schiera (Let others sing of Mars and of his host) sonnet by Marino
        1. the parallel work to Altri canti d amor, it serves as an introduction to the second half of the collection. Like its counterpart, it, too, is preceded by an instrumental sinfonia and contains a dedication to Ferdinand III.
      2. Vago augelletto che cantando vai (Lovely little bird, who are you singing about?) sonnet by Petrarch
      3. Mentre vaga angioletta (While a charming, angelic girl attracts every wellborn soul with her singing) madrigal by Guarini
      4. Ardo e scoprir, ahi lasso, io non ardisco (I burn and, alas, I do not have the courage to reveal that burning which I bear hidden in my breast) anonymous madrigal
      5. O sia tranquillo il mare o pien d’orgoglio (Whether the sea be still or swelled with pride) anonymous sonnet
      6. Ninfa che, scalza il piede e sciolto il crine (Nymph, who with bare feet and hair undone) anonymous madrigal
      7. Dolcissimo uscignolo (Sweetest nightingale) madrigal by Guarini
      8. Chi vol haver felice e lieto il core (Whoever wishes to have a happy joyful heart) madrigal by Guarini
      9. Non Havea Febo ancora: Lamento della ninfa (Phoebus had not yet: The Lament of the Nymph) canzonetta by Rinuccini
      10. Perche te n fuggi, o Fillide? (Why do you run away, Phyllis?) anonymous madrigal
      11. Non partir, ritrosetta (Do not depart, maiden averse to love) anonymous canzonetta
      12. Su, Su, Su, pastorelli vezzosi (Come, come, come, charming shepherd lads) anonymous canzonetta
      13. Il Ballo delle ingrate (Entrance and Final ballet of the Ungrateful Women)
        1. The Ballet of the Ungrateful Women was originally composed for the 1608 wedding of Francesco Gonzaga and was revived in 1628 for a performance in Vienna.

      The Ninth Madrigal Book

      The ninth book of madrigals, published posthumously in 1651, contains lighter pieces such as canzonettas which were probably composed throughout Monteverdi’s lifetime representing both styles.

      Operas

      During the last years of his life, Monteverdi was often ill. During this time, he composed his two last masterpieces: Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses, 1640), and the historic opera, L’incoronazione di Poppea, (The Coronation of Poppea, 1642), based on an episode in the life of the Romanemperor Nero. The libretto for Il ritorno d’Ulisse was by Giacomo Badoarro and for L’incoronazione di Poppea by Giovanni Busenello.

      L’Orfeo

      Monteverdi composed at least eighteen operas, but only L’Orfeo, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and the famous aria, Lamento, from his second opera L’Arianna have survived. From monody (with melodic lines, intelligible text and placid accompanying music), it was a logical step for Monteverdi to begin composing opera. In 1607, the premiere of his first opera, L’Orfeo, took place in Mantua. L’Orfeo was not the first opera, but the first mature opera, or one that realized all of its potential. It was normal at that time for composers to create works on demand for special occasions, and this piece was part of the ducal celebrations of carnival. (Monteverdi was later to write for the first opera houses supported by ticket sales which opened in Venice). L’Orfeo has dramatic power and lively orchestration. L’Orfeo is arguably the first example of a composer assigning specific instruments to parts in operas. It is also one of the first large compositions in which the exact instrumentation of the premiere has come down to us. The plot is described in vivid musical pictures and the melodies are linear and clear. With this opera, Monteverdi created an entirely new style of music, the dramma per la musica or musical drama.

      L’Arianna

      L’Arianna was the second opera written by Monteverdi. It is one of the most influential and famous specimens of early Baroque opera. It was first performed in Mantua in 1608. Its subject matter was the ancient Greek legend of Ariadne and Theseus.

      Sacred music

      Vespro della Beata Vergine

      Monteverdi’s first church music publication was the archaic Mass In illo tempore to which the Vesper Psalms of 1610 were added. The Vesper Psalms of 1610 are also one of the best examples of early repetition and contrast, with many of the parts having a clear ritornello. The published work is on a very grand scale and there has been some controversy as to whether all the movements were intended to be performed in a single service. However, there are various indications of internal unity. In its scope, it foreshadows such summits of Baroque music as Handel‘s Messiah, and J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Each part (there are twenty-five in total) is fully developed in both a musical and dramatic sense – the instrumental textures are used to precise dramatic and emotional effect, in a way that had not been seen before.

      • Messa in illo tempore (1610)
      • Mass of Thanksgiving (1631)
      • Messa a 4 da cappella (1641) (also: Missa in F), part of Selva morale e spirituale
      • Messa a 4 v. et salmi a 1–8 v. e parte da cappella & con le litanie della B.V. (Mass for four voices, and Psalms …) (published posthumously, 1650)

      Other Works

      • Scherzi Musicali

      Sacred contrafacta

      In 1607, Aquilino Coppini published in Milan his “Musica tolta da i Madrigali di Claudio Monteverde, e d’altri autori … e fatta spirituale” for 5 and 6 voices, in which many of Monteverdi’s madrigals (especially from the third, fourth and fifth books) are presented with the original secular texts replaced with sacred Latin contrafacta carefully prepared by Coppini in order to fit the music in every aspect.

      Excerpted from Wikipedia

      Monteverdi books and music
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Claudio Monteverdi: Books and Music

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Selected Books

Opera’s First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi
Amadeus Press, 2006
Mark Ringer
$21.86 on Amazon
Used copies for $9.99

Opera First

“In part this book is a short biography of Monteverdi. And in part it discusses his place as the originator of opera as we know it today. But mostly it’s about the three surviving operas that he wrote: L’Orfeo (Orpheus, 1607), Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland, 1640), and L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea, 1643). The stated purpose of the book is not to treat these works as merely a part of operatic history but as the vital theatrical experiences that they are.”—John Matlock, from Amazon

The Letters of Claudio Monteverdi
Oxford University Press (second edition), 1995
Denis Stevens (trans.)
$290.57 on Amazon
Used from $156.14

claudio ltrs
“Along with Stevens’s generous annotations, these letters stand as a compelling documentary biography. No student or scholar of 17th-century music can ignore this collection.”–Choice

Monteverdi music books

Selected Music

claudio-innovator The Innovator (2012), 10-CD boxed set

Guerrieri Madrigali Guerrieri et Amorosi (1999), 2-CD set

L'Orfeo L’Orfeo/John Eliot Gardiner, et. al. (1990), 2-CD set

More Claudio Monteverdi music
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Claudio Monteverdi: Notes and Commentary

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Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi “was the first composer to write operas with a full awareness of the artistic potential of this musico-framatic genre; he was the first musical dramatist. He created the first opera that a present-day audience can listen to with appreciation and pleasure. We can, therefore, readily understand why his contemporaries should have referred to him as ‘music’s prophet.'”—David Ewen, The Complete Book of Classical Music

“Claudio Monteverdi’s brilliant output spanned the formative period of Baroque music. [He was] more a culmination than a creator of a new style.”—Claude Palisca,  Baroque Music (3rd Edition)

“Baroque ‘Modernist’ of harmony; first opera composer.”—Phil Goulding, Classical Music

Monteverdi was an Italian composer, gambist, singer, and Roman Catholic priest. His work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition: 1) the heritage of Renaissance polyphony, and 2) the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque. He wrote one of the earliest operas, L’Orfeo, an innovative work that is still regularly performed. He was recognized as an innovative composer and enjoyed considerable fame in his lifetime. His works are split into three categories: madrigals, operas, and church-music, also known as sacred music.

Madrigals. Until the age of forty, Monteverdi worked primarily on madrigals, composing a total of nine books. It took him about four years to finish his first book of twenty-one madrigals for five voices. As a whole, the first eight books of madrigals show the enormous development from Renaissance polyphonic music to the monodic style typical of Baroque music.

Operas. Monteverdi composed at least eighteen operas over the course of is life, but only L’Orfeo, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and the famous aria, Lamento, from his second opera, L’Arianna, have survived. During the last years of his life, Monteverdi was often ill. During this time, he composed his two last masterpieces: Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses, 1640), and the historic opera, L’incoronazione di Poppea, (The Coronation of Poppea, 1642), based on an episode in the life of the Roman emperor Nero. The libretto for Il ritorno d’Ulisse was by Giacomo Badoarro and for L’incoronazione di Poppea by Giovanni Busenello.

Church music. Monteverdi’s first church music publication was the archaic Mass In illo tempore to which the Vesper Psalms of 1610 were added. The Vesper Psalms of 1610 are also one of the best examples of early repetition and contrast, with many of the parts having a clear ritornello. The published work is on a very grand scale and there has been some controversy as to whether all the movements were intended to be performed in a single service. However, there are various indications of internal unity. In its scope, it foreshadows such summits of Baroque music as Handel’s Messiah, and J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Each part (there are twenty-five in total) is fully developed in both a musical and dramatic sense – the instrumental textures are used to precise dramatic and emotional effect, in a way that had not been seen before.

He lived from May 15, 1567, to November 29, 1643.—Excerpted from Wikipedia

Monteverdi books and music
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Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750

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Selected Recordings

Double Concerto in D minor

Brandenburg Concertos

The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I

Selected Sheet Music

Aus der Tiefer rufe ich (Cantata #131)
Tiefer
Source: CPDL.org

Showcase Piece

Cantata: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben

Notes and Commentary

“Practically all of those who were his superiors at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, and most of those who attended the services there regularly, had little idea that their cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach, was one of music’s elect.”—David Ewen, The Complete Book of Classical Music

“A titan on Western Art.”—Phil Goulding, Classical Music

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist of the Baroque period. He enriched many established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach’s compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B minor, the The Well-Tempered Clavier, his cantatas, chorales, partitas, Passions, and organ works. His music is revered for its intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty.

Bach was born in Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach, into a very musical family; his father, Johann Ambrosius Bach was the director of the town musicians, and all of his uncles were professional musicians. His father taught him to play violin and harpsichord, and his brother, Johann Christoph Bach, taught him the clavichord and exposed him to much contemporary music. Bach also went to St Michael’s School in Lüneburg because of his singing skills. After graduating, he held several musical posts across Germany: he served as Kapellmeister (director of music) to Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, Cantor of Thomasschule in Leipzig, and Royal Court Composer to August III.

Bach’s abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the main composers of the Baroque period, and as one of the greatest composers of all time. He lived from (31 March 31, 1685, to July 28, 1750.—Excerpted from Wikipedia

Was Bach’s son J.C. Bach sometimes referred to as “The English Bach?” That’s open to debate.

Books and Music

Selected Books
Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician
W.W. Norton & Co., 2001
Christoph Wolff
$16.63 on Amazon

wolff

“A magisterial biographical portrait . . . necessarily learned, but also user-friendly, helpful and entertainingly informative.”—Chicago Tribune

The New Bach Reader
W.W. Norton & Co., 1999
Christoph Wolff, Arthur Mendel, and Hans David (eds.)
$18.45 on Amazon

Mendel

“This book is essential for anyone wanting to understand the life and work of J. S. Bach. It provides wonderful insights about the man through his own documents and writings by those who knew and worked with him. He comes across as an amazingly hard working genius with a quick temper and absolute focus.”—Craig Matteson on Amazon

The Cello Suites
Grove Press, 2011
Eric Siblin
$12.87 on Amazon

Siblin

“I fell in love with this book both for the caliber of the writing and the subject matter. Because Siblin doesn’t stick rigidly to discussing Bach and the cello suites themselves, he doesn’t get bogged down in the kind of musicological detail that would lose him part of his audience. What appealed to me most is that it’s the kind of book that at its heart addresses the enduring impact of great art.”—S. McGee on Amazon

Selected Music

brandenburg 6 Brandenburg Concertos / 4 Orchestral Suites (1989), 3-CD set

goldberg Goldberg Variations (2000), 1 CD

fugue The Art of Fugue (2003), 1 CD

Complete Works

Bach composed hundreds of works during his lifetime, too many to list here. For a complete list of his wok, broken up by catgory, go to the J.S. Bach home page. The following information is excerpted from Wikipedia.

His work is generally broken into organ and other keyboard works, orchestral and chamber music, and vocal and choral works, which are in turn broken into his cantatas and Passions, and his major choral work, Mass in B Minor.

Among his noteworthy organ works are Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Concerto No. 1 in D Major. His well-known keyboard works are The Well-Tempered Clavier, his English and French Suites, and his Goldberg Variations.

Orchestral and chamber music
Bach wrote for single instruments, duets, and small ensembles. Many of his solo works, such as his six sonatas and partitas for violin, six cello suites, and Partita for solo flute, are widely considered among the most profound works in the repertoire. Bach composed a suite and several other works for solo lute. He wrote trio sonatas; solo sonatas (accompanied by continuo) for the flute and for the viola da gamba; and a large number of canons and ricercare, mostly with unspecified instrumentation. The most significant examples of the latter are contained in The Art of Fugue and The Musical Offering.

Bach’s best-known orchestral works are the Brandenburg Concertos, so named because he submitted them in the hope of gaining employment from Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721; his application was unsuccessful. These works are examples of the concerto grosso genre. Other surviving works in the concerto form include two violin concertos; a Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, often referred to as Bach’s “double” concerto; and concertos for one to four harpsichords. It is widely accepted that many of the harpsichord concertos were not original works, but arrangements of his concertos for other instruments now lost. A number of violin, oboe and flute concertos have been reconstructed from these. In addition to concertos, Bach wrote four orchestral suites, and a series of stylised dances for orchestra, each preceded by a French overture.

Vocal and choral works
As the Thomaskantor, beginning mid of 1723, Bach performed a cantata each Sunday and feast day that corresponded to the lectionary readings of the week. Although Bach performed cantatas by other composers, he composed at least three entire annual cycles of cantatas at Leipzig, in addition to those composed at Mühlhausen and Weimar. In total he wrote more than 300 sacred cantatas, of which approximately 200 survive.

His cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation, including those for solo singers, single choruses, small instrumental groups, or grand orchestras. Many consist of a large opening chorus followed by one or more recitative-aria pairs for soloists (or duets) and a concluding chorale. The recitative is part of the corresponding Bible reading for the week and the aria is a contemporary reflection on it. The melody of the concluding chorale often appears as a cantus firmus in the opening movement. Among his best known cantatas are:

  • Christ lag in Todes Banden
  • Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis
  • Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
  • Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit
  • Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
  • Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben

In addition, Bach wrote a number of secular cantatas, usually for civic events such as council inaugurations. These include wedding cantatas, the Wedding Quodlibet, the Peasant Cantata and the Coffee Cantata.

Passions
Bach’s large choral-orchestral works include the grand scale St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, both written for Good Friday vespers services at the Thomaskirche and the Nikolaikirche in alternate years, and the Christmas Oratorio (a set of six cantatas for use in the Liturgical season of Christmas). The two versions of the Magnificat (one in E-flat major, with four interpolated Christmas-related movements, and the later and better-known version in D major), the Easter Oratorio, and the Ascension Oratorio are smaller and simpler than the Passions and the Christmas Oratorio.

Mass in B minor
Bach assembled his other large work, the Mass in B minor, near the end of his life, mostly from pieces composed earlier (such as the cantatas Gloria in excelsis Deo, and Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen). The mass was never performed in full during Bach’s lifetime. All of these movements, unlike the six motets (Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied; Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf; Jesu, meine Freude; Fürchte dich nicht; Komm, Jesu, komm!; and Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden), have substantial solo parts as well as choruses.

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Claudio Monteverdi, 1567-1643

Posted by Nabob on

220px-claudio_monteverdi

Selected Recordings

Madrigal
Lamento della Ninfa

Opera
Lamento d’Arianna

Sacred Music
Missa in illo tempore

Selected Sheet Music

Filli cara e amata

Il primo libro di madrigali
1587

Fili cara-1

Showcase Piece

Non si levav’ancor (Madrigal, Book II)

Notes and Commentary

Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi “was the first composer to write operas with a full awareness of the artistic potential of this musico-framatic genre; he was the first musical dramatist. He created the first opera that a present-day audience can listen to with appreciation and pleasure. We can, therefore, readily understand why his contemporaries should have referred to him as ‘music’s prophet.'”—David Ewen, The Complete Book of Classical Music

“Claudio Monteverdi’s brilliant output spanned the formative period of Baroque music. [He was] more a culmination than a creator of a new style.”—Claude Palisca,  Baroque Music (3rd Edition)

“Baroque ‘Modernist’ of harmony; first opera composer.”—Phil Goulding, Classical Music

Monteverdi was an Italian composer, gambist, singer, and Roman Catholic priest. His work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition: 1) the heritage of Renaissance polyphony, and 2) the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque. He wrote one of the earliest operas, L’Orfeo, an innovative work that is still regularly performed. He was recognized as an innovative composer and enjoyed considerable fame in his lifetime. His works are split into three categories: madrigals, operas, and church-music, also known as sacred music.

Madrigals. Until the age of forty, Monteverdi worked primarily on madrigals, composing a total of nine books. It took him about four years to finish his first book of twenty-one madrigals for five voices. As a whole, the first eight books of madrigals show the enormous development from Renaissance polyphonic music to the monodic style typical of Baroque music.

Operas. Monteverdi composed at least eighteen operas over the course of is life, but only L’Orfeo, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and the famous aria, Lamento, from his second opera, L’Arianna, have survived. During the last years of his life, Monteverdi was often ill. During this time, he composed his two last masterpieces: Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses, 1640), and the historic opera, L’incoronazione di Poppea, (The Coronation of Poppea, 1642), based on an episode in the life of the Roman emperor Nero. The libretto for Il ritorno d’Ulisse was by Giacomo Badoarro and for L’incoronazione di Poppea by Giovanni Busenello.

Church music. Monteverdi’s first church music publication was the archaic Mass In illo tempore to which the Vesper Psalms of 1610 were added. The Vesper Psalms of 1610 are also one of the best examples of early repetition and contrast, with many of the parts having a clear ritornello. The published work is on a very grand scale and there has been some controversy as to whether all the movements were intended to be performed in a single service. However, there are various indications of internal unity. In its scope, it foreshadows such summits of Baroque music as Handel’s Messiah, and J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Each part (there are twenty-five in total) is fully developed in both a musical and dramatic sense – the instrumental textures are used to precise dramatic and emotional effect, in a way that had not been seen before.

He lived from May 15, 1567, to November 29, 1643.—Excerpted from Wikipedia

Books and Music

Selected Books
Opera’s First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi
Amadeus Press, 2006
Mark Ringer
$21.86 on Amazon
Used copies for $9.99

Opera First

“In part this book is a short biography of Monteverdi. And in part it discusses his place as the originator of opera as we know it today. But mostly it’s about the three surviving operas that he wrote: L’Orfeo (Orpheus, 1607), Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland, 1640), and L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea, 1643). The stated purpose of the book is not to treat these works as merely a part of operatic history but as the vital theatrical experiences that they are.”—John Matlock, from Amazon

The Letters of Claudio Monteverdi
Oxford University Press (second edition), 1995
Denis Stevens (trans.)
$290.57 on Amazon
Used from $156.14

claudio ltrs
“Along with Stevens’s generous annotations, these letters stand as a compelling documentary biography. No student or scholar of 17th-century music can ignore this collection.”–Choice

Monteverdi music books

Selected Music

claudio-innovator The Innovator (2012), 10-CD boxed set

Guerrieri Madrigali Guerrieri et Amorosi (1999), 2-CD set

L'Orfeo L’Orfeo/John Eliot Gardiner, et. al. (1990), 2-CD set

More Claudio Monteverdi music

Complete Works

Excerpted from Wikipedia

Monteverdi’s works are split into three categories: madrigals, operas, and church-music.

Madrigals

Until the age of forty, Monteverdi worked primarily on madrigals, composing a total of nine books. It took Monteverdi about four years to finish his first book of twenty-one madrigals for five voices. As a whole, the first eight books of madrigals show the enormous development from Renaissancepolyphonic music to the monodic style typical of Baroque music.

Book 1, 1587: Madrigali a cinque voci

  • Book 2, 1590: Il secondo libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 3, 1592: Il terzo libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 4, 1603: Il quarto libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 5, 1605: Il quinto libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 6, 1614: Il sesto libro de madrigali a cinque voci
  • Book 7, 1619: Concerto. Settimo libro di madrigali
  • Book 8, 1638: Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi con alcuni opuscoli in genere rappresentativo, che saranno per brevi episodi fra i canti senza gesto.
  • Book 9, 1651: Madrigali e canzonette a due e tre voci

The Fifth Madrigal Book

The Fifth Book of Madrigals shows the shift from the late Renaissance style of music to the early Baroque. The Quinto Libro (Fifth Book), published in 1605, was at the heart of the controversy between Monteverdi and Giovanni Artusi. Artusi attacked the “crudities” and “license” of the modern style of composing, centering his attacks on madrigals (including Cruda Amarilli, composed around 1600) (See Fabbri, Monteverdi, p. 60) from the fourth book. Monteverdi made his reply in the introduction to the fifth book, with a proposal of the division of musical practice into two streams, which he called prima pratica, and seconda pratica. Prima pratica was described as the previous polyphonic ideal of the sixteenth century, with flowing strict counterpoint, prepared dissonance, and equality of voices.Seconda pratica used much freer counterpoint with an increasing hierarchy of voices, emphasizing soprano and bass. In Prima pratica the harmony controls the words. In Seconda pratica the words should be in control of the harmonies. This represented a move towards the new style of monody. The introduction of continuo in many of the madrigals was a further self-consciously modern feature. In addition, the fifth book showed the beginnings of conscious functional tonality.

The Eighth Madrigal Book

While in Venice, Monteverdi also finished his sixth (1614), seventh (1619), and eighth (1638) books of madrigals. The eighth is the largest, containing works written over a thirty-year period. Originally the work was to be dedicated to Ferdinand II, but because of his ill health, his son was made king in December 1636. When the work was first published in 1638 Monteverdi rededicated it to the new King Ferdinand III. The eighth book includes the so-calledMadrigali dei guerrieri et amorosi (Madrigals of War and Love).

The important preface of Monteverdi’s eighth madrigal book seems to be connected with his seconda pratica. He claims to have invented a new “agitated” style (Genere concitato, later called Stile concitato). 

The book is divided into sections of War and Love each containing madrigals, a piece in dramatic form (genere rappresentativo), and a ballet. In the Madrigals of War, Monteverdi has organized poetry that describes the pursuits of love through the allegory of war; the hunt for love, and the battle to find love. In the second half of the book, theMadrigals of Love, Monteverdi organized poetry that describes the unhappiness of being in love, unfaithfulness, and ungrateful lovers who feel no shame. In his previous madrigal collections, Monteverdi usually set poetry from one or two poets he was in contact with through the court where he was employed. The Madrigals of War and Loverepresent an overview of the poets he has dealt with throughout his life; the classical poetry of Petrarch, poetry by his contemporaries (Tasso, Guarini, Marino, Rinuccini, Testi and Strozzi), or anonymous poets who Monteverdi found and adapted to his needs.

Madrigals of War

  1. Altri canti d’Amor tenero arciero (Let others sing of Love, the tender archer) anonymous sonnet
    1. is preceded by a sinfonia introduction that is written for two violins and four viols. The madrigal that follows serves as an introduction to the first half of the collection and as a dedication to Ferdinand III.
  2. Hor che’l ciel e la terra e’l vento tace (Now that the sky, earth and wind are silent) Sonnet by Petrarch,
    1. is the first significant poetic work of the collection in which Monteverdi splits into two sections. In the first section, his poetry introduces the idea of the wars of love, in which he yearns for someone to love him.
      1. “War is my condition full of anger and grief, and only when thinking of her do I find some peace.“
      2. In the second section, “Thus from a single bright and living fountain” (Cosi sol d’una chiara fonte viva) the symbolism of war continues:
        1. “One hand alone cures me and wounds me. And, because my suffering never reaches its limits, a thousand times daily I die, and a thousand I am born, so far am I from my salvation.“
      3. Gira il nemico insidioso Amore (The insidious enemy, Love, circles the citadel of my heart) canzonetta by Strozzi
      4. Se vittorie si belle han le guerre d’amore (If love’s wars have such beautiful victories) madrigal by Testi
      5. Armato il cor d’adamanina fede (My heart armed with adamantine faith) madrigal by Rinuccini
      6. Ogni amante e guerrier: nel suo gran regno (Every lover is a warrior: in his great kingdom) madrigal by Rinuccini
      7. Ardo, avvampo, mi struggo, ardo: accorrete (I burn, I blaze, I am consumed, I burn; come running) anonymous sonnet
      8. Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda) from Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata, Canto XII
        1. was originally composed and performed at the home of Girolamo Mocenigo (1624) and includes the dramatic scene in which the orchestra and voices form two separate entities, acting as counterparts. Most likely Monteverdi was inspired to try this arrangement because of the two opposite balconies in San Marco. What made this composition also stand out is the first-time use of string tremolo (fast repetition of the same tone) and pizzicato (plucking strings with fingers) for special effect in dramatic scenes.
      9. Introduzione al ballo e ballo: Volgendo il ciel (Introduction to the ballet, and ballet) sonnet by Rinuccini

      Madrigals of Love

      1. Altri canti di Marte e di sua schiera (Let others sing of Mars and of his host) sonnet by Marino
        1. the parallel work to Altri canti d amor, it serves as an introduction to the second half of the collection. Like its counterpart, it, too, is preceded by an instrumental sinfonia and contains a dedication to Ferdinand III.
      2. Vago augelletto che cantando vai (Lovely little bird, who are you singing about?) sonnet by Petrarch
      3. Mentre vaga angioletta (While a charming, angelic girl attracts every wellborn soul with her singing) madrigal by Guarini
      4. Ardo e scoprir, ahi lasso, io non ardisco (I burn and, alas, I do not have the courage to reveal that burning which I bear hidden in my breast) anonymous madrigal
      5. O sia tranquillo il mare o pien d’orgoglio (Whether the sea be still or swelled with pride) anonymous sonnet
      6. Ninfa che, scalza il piede e sciolto il crine (Nymph, who with bare feet and hair undone) anonymous madrigal
      7. Dolcissimo uscignolo (Sweetest nightingale) madrigal by Guarini
      8. Chi vol haver felice e lieto il core (Whoever wishes to have a happy joyful heart) madrigal by Guarini
      9. Non Havea Febo ancora: Lamento della ninfa (Phoebus had not yet: The Lament of the Nymph) canzonetta by Rinuccini
      10. Perche te n fuggi, o Fillide? (Why do you run away, Phyllis?) anonymous madrigal
      11. Non partir, ritrosetta (Do not depart, maiden averse to love) anonymous canzonetta
      12. Su, Su, Su, pastorelli vezzosi (Come, come, come, charming shepherd lads) anonymous canzonetta
      13. Il Ballo delle ingrate (Entrance and Final ballet of the Ungrateful Women)
        1. The Ballet of the Ungrateful Women was originally composed for the 1608 wedding of Francesco Gonzaga and was revived in 1628 for a performance in Vienna.

      The Ninth Madrigal Book

      The ninth book of madrigals, published posthumously in 1651, contains lighter pieces such as canzonettas which were probably composed throughout Monteverdi’s lifetime representing both styles.

      Operas

      During the last years of his life, Monteverdi was often ill. During this time, he composed his two last masterpieces: Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses, 1640), and the historic opera, L’incoronazione di Poppea, (The Coronation of Poppea, 1642), based on an episode in the life of the Romanemperor Nero. The libretto for Il ritorno d’Ulisse was by Giacomo Badoarro and for L’incoronazione di Poppea by Giovanni Busenello.

      L’Orfeo

      Monteverdi composed at least eighteen operas, but only L’Orfeo, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and the famous aria, Lamento, from his second opera L’Arianna have survived. From monody (with melodic lines, intelligible text and placid accompanying music), it was a logical step for Monteverdi to begin composing opera. In 1607, the premiere of his first opera, L’Orfeo, took place in Mantua. L’Orfeo was not the first opera, but the first mature opera, or one that realized all of its potential. It was normal at that time for composers to create works on demand for special occasions, and this piece was part of the ducal celebrations of carnival. (Monteverdi was later to write for the first opera houses supported by ticket sales which opened in Venice). L’Orfeo has dramatic power and lively orchestration. L’Orfeo is arguably the first example of a composer assigning specific instruments to parts in operas. It is also one of the first large compositions in which the exact instrumentation of the premiere has come down to us. The plot is described in vivid musical pictures and the melodies are linear and clear. With this opera, Monteverdi created an entirely new style of music, the dramma per la musica or musical drama.

      L’Arianna

      L’Arianna was the second opera written by Monteverdi. It is one of the most influential and famous specimens of early Baroque opera. It was first performed in Mantua in 1608. Its subject matter was the ancient Greek legend of Ariadne and Theseus.

      Sacred music

      Vespro della Beata Vergine

      Monteverdi’s first church music publication was the archaic Mass In illo tempore to which the Vesper Psalms of 1610 were added. The Vesper Psalms of 1610 are also one of the best examples of early repetition and contrast, with many of the parts having a clear ritornello. The published work is on a very grand scale and there has been some controversy as to whether all the movements were intended to be performed in a single service. However, there are various indications of internal unity. In its scope, it foreshadows such summits of Baroque music as Handel‘s Messiah, and J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Each part (there are twenty-five in total) is fully developed in both a musical and dramatic sense – the instrumental textures are used to precise dramatic and emotional effect, in a way that had not been seen before.

      • Messa in illo tempore (1610)
      • Mass of Thanksgiving (1631)
      • Messa a 4 da cappella (1641) (also: Missa in F), part of Selva morale e spirituale
      • Messa a 4 v. et salmi a 1–8 v. e parte da cappella & con le litanie della B.V. (Mass for four voices, and Psalms …) (published posthumously, 1650)

      Other Works

      • Scherzi Musicali

      Sacred contrafacta

      In 1607, Aquilino Coppini published in Milan his “Musica tolta da i Madrigali di Claudio Monteverde, e d’altri autori … e fatta spirituale” for 5 and 6 voices, in which many of Monteverdi’s madrigals (especially from the third, fourth and fifth books) are presented with the original secular texts replaced with sacred Latin contrafacta carefully prepared by Coppini in order to fit the music in every aspect.

      Excerpted from Wikipedia

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      Painting of Monteverdi (1640), at top of page, by Bernardo Strozzi. Creative Commons.