Non Vidi Mai by Luca Marenzio
I am delighted to introduce (or perhaps, for some of you, re-introduce) Luca Marenzio's setting of
'Non vidi mai dopo notturna pioggia', a poem from Francesco Petrarca's Canzoniere. Four-voice madrigals were something of a throwback by 1585; the industry standard (so to speak) had moved to the five-voice texture somewhat earlier. But Marenzio makes each voice really count, and the Book includes wonderful pieces in a wide array of textures, styles and moods. Serious pieces like 'Ahi, dispietata morte' and 'Zefiro torna' share space with light, fun pieces like 'Vedi le valli' and 'Nuova angioletta'. The poems include many by Petrarca, but also a number by the pastoralist Jacopo Sannazaro as well as the playwright Torquato Tasso and the always-mysterious Anonymous. Overall it's a delightful volume of imaginative settings of wonderful poetry, covering the gamut of human emotions in good times and in bad.
'Non vidi mai' is the first piece of the collection. Its evocative text is brought to vivid life by Marenzio from the opening mystical phrase, depicting the wandering stars on a calm, clear night. Each phrase of the text is given its own musical expression which not only paints the text, but brings it alive on an emotional and even spiritual level. This is the kind of music that plays in our heads in wakeful moments in the night.
I am delighted to introduce (or perhaps, for some of you, re-introduce) Luca Marenzio's setting of
'Non vidi mai dopo notturna pioggia', a poem from Francesco Petrarca's Canzoniere. Four-voice madrigals were something of a throwback by 1585; the industry standard (so to speak) had moved to the five-voice texture somewhat earlier. But Marenzio makes each voice really count, and the Book includes wonderful pieces in a wide array of textures, styles and moods. Serious pieces like 'Ahi, dispietata morte' and 'Zefiro torna' share space with light, fun pieces like 'Vedi le valli' and 'Nuova angioletta'. The poems include many by Petrarca, but also a number by the pastoralist Jacopo Sannazaro as well as the playwright Torquato Tasso and the always-mysterious Anonymous. Overall it's a delightful volume of imaginative settings of wonderful poetry, covering the gamut of human emotions in good times and in bad.
'Non vidi mai' is the first piece of the collection. Its evocative text is brought to vivid life by Marenzio from the opening mystical phrase, depicting the wandering stars on a calm, clear night. Each phrase of the text is given its own musical expression which not only paints the text, but brings it alive on an emotional and even spiritual level. This is the kind of music that plays in our heads in wakeful moments in the night.