The Divine Monteverdi Programme

SINGERS RECITAL: THE DIVINE MONTEVERDI MONDAY 7TH MAY 2018 3.00 PM ST. CATWG’S CHURCH, LLANGATTOCK

Programme

Scherzi Musicali: Lydia spina del mio core (all) Damigella (all) Ecco di dolci raggi (Louise Wood) Motet: Venite sitientis ad aquas (duet) Motet : O Intemerata—Alessandro Grandi (solo)

Madrigal Bk 6: Dara la note il sol

Madrigals Bk 8 : Lamento della Ninfa (Aine Smith, Tom Kerman, Ceri Ellis, George Haylock, Tomos Jones) Su, su, su pastorelli vezzosi

Scherzo delle ariose vaghezze : Si dolce e’l tormento (Maisie O’Shea)

Madrigal Bk 5: Ch’io t’ami Motets: Laudate Dominum (solo) Quam dulcis—Alessandro Grandi Venetian Carnival Songs Nos 7, 12, 17, 18 Banchieri (all)

Cover Art by Rudyard Cook

Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi: 1567—1643

Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian Renaissance composer and a significant developer of new genre — ‘operas’. Working extensively in the tradition of early Renaissance polyphony and concurrently employing the basso continuo technique, an important feature of the Baroque period, he also became a bridge between these two distinctive eras of music history.

Born in the middle of the sixteenth century in the Lombardy region of Italy, he studied music with Marc’Antonio Ingegneri, the maestro at the local cathedral. He started writing both religious and secular music early in his life, publishing his first work at the age of 15. Around the age of 22, he started his career as a string player at the Court of Mantua, being appointed to the position of the maestro di capella at the age of 35. Later, he moved to Venice, where he was appointed to the same post at the St. Mark’s. Remaining there till his death, he wrote much religious, as well as secular music, also introducing secular elements into church music. 'La favola d'Orfeo', one of his first operas, is being regularly performed in the present day.

Madrigals

Madrigals are a form of vocal chamber music that originated in Italy in the fourteenth century. Although it declined in the fifteenth century, madrigals flourished in the sixteenth century. The term ‘madrigal’ re- fers to a certain shape of poetic text. This poetic from is a relatively constant poetic form of two or three stanzas each with three lines each, including seven or eleven syllables per line. A typical two stanza madrigal has an AAB form. The AA part is usually sung to the same music then followed by the B part which is usually a one or two coda. Musically, a madrigal is often set polyphonically with between two and eight vocal parts. Solo singers then performed this usually without accompaniment. However, doubling instruments were often used. Unfortunately, the madrigal tradition almost disappeared but the idea of the madrigal never really died out. It has been carried through the ages and adapted by different, thereby continuing an important part of music history.

Monteverdi’s Fifth Book of Madrigals

Monteverdi’s fifth book of Madrigals was published in 1605. The book took his expressive and experimental writing even further, which some enjoyed and some did not. He stood by the traditional forms of music and was not open to modern styles. Due to his success, book five was reprinted nine times. Monteverdi dedicated this book to Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of the city of Mantua. His work greatly pleased the Duke, who honoured Monterverdi with the charge of his most noble music. “I do not do things at random and as soon as it is rewritten it will appear bearing the name of second practice, or perfection of modern music.” These words are said to become part of musical history.

From this book onwards, the traditional piece for five voices was transformed into a training ground, which welcomed instrumental writing and extended sections for vocal trios and duets, or even solos. The fifth book talks about a man, Mirtillo, who is deeply in love with a women, Amaryllis, who does not reciprocate his love. In the two opening madrigals, Monteverdi brings together two scenes to create a dialogue between Mirtillo and Amaryllis. The story of a second unhappy couple forms the heart of this book.

Monteverdi’s Eighth Book of Madrigals

Monteverdi's Eighth Book of Madrigals is a very important book, containing nearly 40 individual works. The madrigals in therein are taken from Monteverdi's work of the previous two decades. The pieces are carefully arranged into particular sequences, suggesting that the book be examined as a whole work. Many of the pieces in the collection are in "genere rappresentativo" (representative genre) as opposed to the madrigals "senza gesto" (without gesture), indicating that the performance of the book would have been at times highly theatrical. The overall ordering of the book follows the pair of adjectives in the title. The first half is comprised of "madrigali guerrieri" (warlike madrigals). The second half is madeof "madrigali amorosi" (love madrigals). Each subdivision of the book is marked by a madrigal for larger- than-normal vocal and instrumental forces.

Mark Chambers, Countertenor SOLOISTS Nicholas Mulroy, Tenor Andrew Wilson Dickson, Harpsichord FESTIVAL BAROQUE PLAYERS James Bramley, Lute Carys Davies Ceri Ellis (Crickhowell High School) George Haylock (Crickhowell High School) Tomos Jones CHORAL SCHOLARS Tomos Kerman (Crickhowell High School Maisie O’Shea Aine Smith Louise Wood Donetta Cook (Crickhowell High School) INSTRUMENTALISTS Rebecca Cook (Crickhowell High School) Harry Barnes Chloe Legge Grace Coughlin Michael Lindoewood Beth Edwards Emma Lorenz Rhys Goodwin Drew Morris Oriel Gray Georgia Phillips Phoebe Gregory Layla Phillips Mia Griffiths Polly Rees CRICKHOWELL HIGH SCHOOL VOCALISTS Katya Harper Nemo Richards Alexander Hemington Kirsty Thomas Ava Howells Ben Tiley Eleanor James Izzy Walters Hannah Jelly Allie Watkins Megan Jones Martha Webb Rebecca Jones Hermione Williams