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Fuggito e'l sonno by Luca Marenzio
I'm writing from Sunriver, Oregon, where we are having our annual Worth Family Vacation. It's hot up here! But we're right on the Deschutes River, which is cool and beautiful. We'll be back in Sonoma County on Friday evening, and will be picking up our new black Lab puppy (Gemini, or Gemma for short) on Sunday. Never a dull moment.

Anyway: Despite being on vacation, I wanted to send you a powerful Marenzio madrigal, 'Fuggito e'l sonno', a setting of the sixth stanza of Petrarch's canzone 'Mia benigna fortuna'. The piece is scored for five voices, and in some ways is typical of Marenzio's work: Imitative polyphonic voices successively bring each line of the text to musical life, with melodic motifs expressive of the loss and pain expressed in the poem.

What makes this piece stand out is its harmonic character. Generally a consonant soul, Marenzio here breaks out harsh chromaticism and other expressive gestures, painting a picture of a wakeful soul lamenting the way things have gone, and looking forward to no great amelioration in the near future.

Powerful stuff! I suggest you listen with the score, making a note each time you hear an instance of harshness or conflict. Then take a close look at the score, and see if you can track down how Marenzio has achieved these effects--where two or more parts conflict, or where the chord progressions become unpredictable and/or unconventional. You're likely to learn a lot about the madrigal, and about Marenzio's own maniera,  in the process.

The recording is available here; all other relevant materials are attached.
Click here to download learning materials
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