Cruda Amarilli by Giaches de Wert
It's Monday and time for another madrigal. So many great ones from which to choose! This week's selection is another all-time favorite: Giaches de Wert's incomparable setting of 'Cruda Amarilli', from 'Il Pastor Fido' by Giovanni Battista Guarini. Now when I say incomparable in this context, I am kind of edging out on a limb. Monteverdi's setting of the same text is one of the most famous madrigals of all time, by virtue of both being great and being one of the prime subjects of a savage polemic by the music theorist Giovanni Maria Artusi (c.1540-1613). Artusi singles out 'Cruda Amarilli' for special denigration, describing the piece as a sort of Frankenstein's monster with the 'head of a beautiful young man, arms like the wings of a swallow, the legs of an ox, and feet corresponding to the beauty of the head.'
The ensuing exchange between the theorist and the composer (and the composer's brother as well) was lively. Ultimately the subject was modern music (the so-called 'seconda prattica', of which Monteverdi was a prime proponent--though he was a consummate master of the 'prima prattica' as well, as witness our first madrigal project, 'O primavera'). The dispute carried out over some time (this was before the internet), and was very public. You can read about here if you like.
There's no question that Monteverdi's setting is wonderful (and groundbreaking as well), and there's plenty of room at the top, for sure. (We'll have the Monteverdi as a future Monday Madrigal, so you'll be able to judge for yourselves.) But I have a special fondness for the setting by Wert, Monteverdi's senior colleague at Mantova. When I first heard it, I felt as though I'd been stuck by a lightning-bolt. Wert squeezes every ounce of expression out of each phrase of the poem, the unforgettable outcry of an abandoned lover who pours out his inconsolable grief and fury before sinking silently to the grave, while adjuring the mountains, forest and hills to echo and re-echo his complaint:
'The fountains will weep, and the winds will murmur, as they tell of my laments.'
(By the way, I have a strong association of this poem with Jimi Hendrix' 'The Wind Cries Mary'.)
But enough talk--you simply have to listen to the piece--it will speak for itself. And then sing with it, pouring out your heart as does the protagonist. It will be a form of therapy (and much cheaper than actual therapy).
A few notes: As usual I've attached the score (with text and translation), midi files for practice, and the recording. The piece is in two parts. I'm including both parts, but if time and/or energy is limited, you could just learn the first part. (But listen to the whole thing, for sure.) The wonderful recording is a whole-step lower than the notation.
It's Monday and time for another madrigal. So many great ones from which to choose! This week's selection is another all-time favorite: Giaches de Wert's incomparable setting of 'Cruda Amarilli', from 'Il Pastor Fido' by Giovanni Battista Guarini. Now when I say incomparable in this context, I am kind of edging out on a limb. Monteverdi's setting of the same text is one of the most famous madrigals of all time, by virtue of both being great and being one of the prime subjects of a savage polemic by the music theorist Giovanni Maria Artusi (c.1540-1613). Artusi singles out 'Cruda Amarilli' for special denigration, describing the piece as a sort of Frankenstein's monster with the 'head of a beautiful young man, arms like the wings of a swallow, the legs of an ox, and feet corresponding to the beauty of the head.'
The ensuing exchange between the theorist and the composer (and the composer's brother as well) was lively. Ultimately the subject was modern music (the so-called 'seconda prattica', of which Monteverdi was a prime proponent--though he was a consummate master of the 'prima prattica' as well, as witness our first madrigal project, 'O primavera'). The dispute carried out over some time (this was before the internet), and was very public. You can read about here if you like.
There's no question that Monteverdi's setting is wonderful (and groundbreaking as well), and there's plenty of room at the top, for sure. (We'll have the Monteverdi as a future Monday Madrigal, so you'll be able to judge for yourselves.) But I have a special fondness for the setting by Wert, Monteverdi's senior colleague at Mantova. When I first heard it, I felt as though I'd been stuck by a lightning-bolt. Wert squeezes every ounce of expression out of each phrase of the poem, the unforgettable outcry of an abandoned lover who pours out his inconsolable grief and fury before sinking silently to the grave, while adjuring the mountains, forest and hills to echo and re-echo his complaint:
'The fountains will weep, and the winds will murmur, as they tell of my laments.'
(By the way, I have a strong association of this poem with Jimi Hendrix' 'The Wind Cries Mary'.)
But enough talk--you simply have to listen to the piece--it will speak for itself. And then sing with it, pouring out your heart as does the protagonist. It will be a form of therapy (and much cheaper than actual therapy).
A few notes: As usual I've attached the score (with text and translation), midi files for practice, and the recording. The piece is in two parts. I'm including both parts, but if time and/or energy is limited, you could just learn the first part. (But listen to the whole thing, for sure.) The wonderful recording is a whole-step lower than the notation.