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Carlo Gesualdo

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (1566 to 1613) was an Italian nobleman and composer. He was Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, but is better known for his madrigals and church music, written in a chromatic language that would not be heard again until the end of the nineteenth century. His family had acquired the principality of Venosa in 1560. He was probably born in Venosa. His uncle was Carlo Borromeo, the future saint Charles Borromeo. His mother died when he was seven. After the death of his brother Luigi in 1584 he became heir and gave up an ecclesiastical career. In 1586 he married his cousin Maria d'Avalos. He killed her and her aristocratic lover when he caught them together.

Music and breakthrough

From an early age Gesualdo was wholly devoted to music and played the lute. His madrigals appeared in six books, from Libro I to Libro VI, the last of which dates from 1613. He also wrote sacred music, including Tenebrae responsories for Holy Week, motets and the Sacrae Cantiones.

Influence

The sound is remarkable: sudden, sharp turns in harmony and tempo that follow the words of the text. As a result Gesualdo is regarded as an outsider of the late Renaissance, whose music has since been rediscovered by composers and listeners as surprisingly modern.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a madrigal from Libro VI or to a Tenebrae responsory. Notice the sudden, strange chord changes and how the voices change mood, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists