Stracciami pur il core by Claudio Monteverdi
In today's madrigal, 'Stracciami pur il core', our heroine is an angry woman who has been betrayed. She's a strong woman, too: She's honest, crystal clear about the situation, and is willing to take responsibility for any errors she may have committed. She won't put up with any more emotional abuse. And she can see beyond and will move beyond her current plight, 'rising like the phoenix' into a better life.
The 25-year-old Claudio Monteverdi selected Giovanni Battista Guarini's poem as one of the texts for his Third Book of Madrigals, published in Venice in 1592. Monteverdi was already a seasoned and inspired composer, and the book is filled with delightful and powerful settings, including the iconic (for me anyway) 'O primavera, gioventù dell' anno'. But even among this rarefied company, 'Stracciami pur' stands out.
Monteverdi's setting is one of his most acute, and that's saying a lot. He has come up with a theme for each line of the text, and these get batted back and forth between the sections most vigorously. The music actually somehow suggests the personality of our protagonist, as she rages and implores and finally triumphantly settles with herself never again to take up with such a cruel, no-good whatchamacallit. The end is particularly stirring, as the rising and falling lines capture the intensity of a Wronged Woman striding up and down declaring strength and independence from her oppressor.
A great recording by Concerto Italiano is attached, along with the score (translation underlaid) and a text-translation sheet.
In today's madrigal, 'Stracciami pur il core', our heroine is an angry woman who has been betrayed. She's a strong woman, too: She's honest, crystal clear about the situation, and is willing to take responsibility for any errors she may have committed. She won't put up with any more emotional abuse. And she can see beyond and will move beyond her current plight, 'rising like the phoenix' into a better life.
The 25-year-old Claudio Monteverdi selected Giovanni Battista Guarini's poem as one of the texts for his Third Book of Madrigals, published in Venice in 1592. Monteverdi was already a seasoned and inspired composer, and the book is filled with delightful and powerful settings, including the iconic (for me anyway) 'O primavera, gioventù dell' anno'. But even among this rarefied company, 'Stracciami pur' stands out.
Monteverdi's setting is one of his most acute, and that's saying a lot. He has come up with a theme for each line of the text, and these get batted back and forth between the sections most vigorously. The music actually somehow suggests the personality of our protagonist, as she rages and implores and finally triumphantly settles with herself never again to take up with such a cruel, no-good whatchamacallit. The end is particularly stirring, as the rising and falling lines capture the intensity of a Wronged Woman striding up and down declaring strength and independence from her oppressor.
A great recording by Concerto Italiano is attached, along with the score (translation underlaid) and a text-translation sheet.