Non più guerra by Claudio Monteverdi
Today's madrigal is one of my favorites from Monteverdi's 'Quarto libro dei madrigali à cinque voci' (1603). This is saying a lot, because the Fourth Book is one of the greatest collections of madrigals ever assembled. In 2004, the SSU Chamber Singers (the forerunner of Circa 1600) prepared and performed the entire book--what an experience! Many of Monteverdi's most famous and beloved pieces are there, including the cosmic 'Sfogava con le stelle'; 'Si ch'io vorrei morire'; with its racy catalog of body parts; and the utterly wrenching 'Ah dolente partita'.
But the one which ended up as our favorite was 'Non più guerra'. It's got everything: A clamorous opening section in an early version of Monteverdi's famous 'war-like' style; a grinding-to-a-halt which somehow absorbs and dispels all the preceding muscular energy; and a heartrending final section, filled with stabbing suspensions and clashing dissonances.
The protagonist is besieged by his lover's beautiful eyes; he cries 'No more war!'. Can't she attack those who rebel, not those who, already conquered adore her? Here the unstable clatter finally subsides, and in a grim homophonic passage, the lover says, 'Do you want me to die? I will die for you.' And then we have the magnificent, devastating finale: 'And though I will be the one to feel the pain, the damage will be yours.'
Today's madrigal is one of my favorites from Monteverdi's 'Quarto libro dei madrigali à cinque voci' (1603). This is saying a lot, because the Fourth Book is one of the greatest collections of madrigals ever assembled. In 2004, the SSU Chamber Singers (the forerunner of Circa 1600) prepared and performed the entire book--what an experience! Many of Monteverdi's most famous and beloved pieces are there, including the cosmic 'Sfogava con le stelle'; 'Si ch'io vorrei morire'; with its racy catalog of body parts; and the utterly wrenching 'Ah dolente partita'.
But the one which ended up as our favorite was 'Non più guerra'. It's got everything: A clamorous opening section in an early version of Monteverdi's famous 'war-like' style; a grinding-to-a-halt which somehow absorbs and dispels all the preceding muscular energy; and a heartrending final section, filled with stabbing suspensions and clashing dissonances.
The protagonist is besieged by his lover's beautiful eyes; he cries 'No more war!'. Can't she attack those who rebel, not those who, already conquered adore her? Here the unstable clatter finally subsides, and in a grim homophonic passage, the lover says, 'Do you want me to die? I will die for you.' And then we have the magnificent, devastating finale: 'And though I will be the one to feel the pain, the damage will be yours.'