Carlo Gesualdo

New Gesualdo Edition 3: Madrigali a 5 voci - Libro 3

Carlo Gesualdo's 'Madrigali a cinque voci, Libro Terzo' ('Third book of five voices madrigals') is the third book that Gesualdo issued in Ferrara by the ducal printer Antonio Baldini but, likely, it is the first he wrote after his arrival in Ferrara and his wedding with Eleonora d'Este. Glenn Watkins, in one of the most important books about Gesualdo, writes: 'The music of [this volume] marks the appearance of a new decidedly personal language'. The 'Libro Terzo', indeed, is notable at least for two reasons: first, the more specific and careful choice of poems, all originated in the Ferrarese court (most of them are anonymous; the only poets identified are B. Guarini, R. Arlotti, A. Pocaterra); second, the search for a personal language, founded on juxtaposition of contrasting musical solutions (imitation vs. homophony, static sections vs. dynamic sections, just for example), and even more daring use of dissonance and chromaticism with expressive function (as in the 9th madrigal, 'Non t'amo, o voc'ingrata').

This new critical edition, based on the 'editio princeps' (Ferrara 1595, unfortunately incomplete today) and the first Venetian edition (1603), offers a more authentic image of these madrigals, in particular in the use of accidentals, that Molinaro's 'Partitura' of 1613 had simplified and conventionalised.

As in the other volumes of this series, the book consists of a detailed introduction, the bibliographic description of the 'editio princeps,' the separated edition of the poetic texts and of the music, completed by the critical apparatus. All the texts are presented in Italian and in English language. In addition, a small selection of facsimiles of the original prints is given.