Monteverdi 3

Early Music Alte Musik

ClaudioMONTEVERDIMadrigals Book 3

Deliti Music Marco Longhini

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Monteverdis Third Book of Madrigals was publishedin Venice in 1592 by Ricciardo Amadino and soldextremely well, with five reprints before 1611. Twofurther editions published in 1615 and 1621 included abasso continuo line for harpsichord, chittarone or othersimilar instrument to aid the instrumentalists whowould otherwise have had to work out their part fromthe vocal parts and transcribe it by hand. Thesemadrigals were clearly in the performance repertoiretherefore for a good thirty years (quite remarkablegiven the rapidly changing tastes at the turn of thesixteenth century as monody and opera developed) andwere the composers first major success. Having beenengaged two years earlier by the Gonzaga family at thecourt of Mantua as a humble singer of madrigals andviol-player, by 1592 Monteverdi was also working as acomposer alongside Giaches de Wert, maestro dicappella at the ducal chapel of Santa Barbara (where allthe major sacred ceremonies of the court took place).By that time Wert was suffering from various illnesses,including smallpox and malaria, and Monteverdi, keento make his name and hoping to succeed Wert,dedicated his Third Book to Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga,partly out of respect, but also well aware that he wasoffering mature and tasty fruit that would be of greatinterest in the cultural atmosphere of the time. There isno mention here, as there was in the First and SecondBooks (Naxos 8.555307 and 8.555308), of either hisorigins or his teachers: as a court musician he had bothassimilated and become part of the sophisticated culturethat had always fascinated him. The Third Book isclearly influenced by the musical, literary, architecturaland other artistic splendours of the Mantuan court. It isan innovative, at times revolutionary work, full of boldexpressive features, which draws once again on thepoems of Torquato Tasso and Giovanni Battista Guarini(the author of one of the most famous Renaissancetexts, Il pastor fido (1589), who was visiting Mantua atthe time).

The first madrigal, La giovinetta pianta, sets ananonymous text and is well constructed but not overlyinteresting musically even though it was usual practicefor the first (and last) pieces of such a work to beremarkable in some way or another (a practiceMonteverdi had followed in the Second Book andwould do again in the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth, Naxos8.555310, 8.555311 and 8.555312). As with the FirstBook, however, what matters most here is not musicalinnovation but the tribute to the dedicatee: VincenzoGonzaga, hedonist, spendthrift and libertine (not unlikeVerdis Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto...) would no doubthave been pleased by the explicitly mischievous andsensual references in a text encouraging young girls totake enjoyment in love.

Love is once again the principal theme of thesesongs, whether in subtle portrayals of sensuality, as inSovra tenere erbette 3, or as the source of pain when alovers feelings are unrequited or he is betrayed 4 and@. Betrayal is also the theme of the very beautifulChio non tami # with its tormented finale on thewords come possio lasciarti e non morire, and ofOcchi un tempo mia vita $ , with its wealth ofcontrasting attitudes depicted by the masterly use ofhorizontal counterpoint (for expressions of love) andvertical harmony (for moments of reluctance and innerpain).

Several of the madrigals in this book (for examplethe seventh and twelfth) are characterized by a longopening passage written for a single voice (a sign of thetrend by then to separate out the voices and personalisethem by providing solo introductions), or for the trio ofthe top three voices. Many academics believe that thispoints to a connection with the Concerto delle Dame diFerrara, one of the few all-female groups inRenaissance Italy (made up of noblewomen and singersvisiting the Ferrarese court). Their flawless taste,technique and virtuosity were renowned throughoutEurope; while the usual cappella was made up of a a

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)Madrigals Book III


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Frontispiece of the original 1592 edition

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small number of male singers and instrumentalists, weknow from contemporary reports such as that by theFlorentine ambassador in 1571, that at least until 1598(the year in which the last heir of Alfonso II dEste diedand the Ferrara dukedom passed into the hands of theRoman Church), larger-scale concerts of around sixtysingers and instrumentalists were staged. These wereundoubtedly exceptional events, proof both of theesteem in which the art form was held and of the greatwealth of Ferrara. Given the regular cultural contestsand exchanges between the latter and Mantua, it iscertainly plausible that Monteverdi might have writtenpieces expressly dedicated to the Ladies of Ferrara.Three such pieces appear here: O come granmartire 2 a superb depiction of that cultured world andof the way in which such feelings would have to beexperienced intimately and without outward show atcourt; Lumi, miei cari lumi *; and O rossignuol 6. Thelatter two songs make frequent and effective use ofmadrigalismi, or word-painting (to be found on thewords veloce and tardo in Lumi, miei for example;while in O rossignuol, a swiftly undulating theme onrio comes to a standstill on the words fermartisuoli, the nightingales song takes flight in a volley ofnotes, and the words of suffering, tears and pain, alwayspresent in such texts, are treated with dissonantharmonies).

The text of one of the Third Books most famouspieces, O primavera, giovent dellanno ! is takenfrom Mirtillos monologue at the beginning of ActThree of Il pastor fido. This pastoral drama was afavourite of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga, as proved byreports of a sumptuous staging in 1598 (after a failedattempt in 1591). We do not know for sure, but it seemslikely that this madrigal was included in thatperformance. The text is polarised between ever-renewing nature with her promise of the joy of new lifeand an unhappy lover nostalgically recalling a love nowlost for ever; the contrast between these sentiments ismade even stronger by the music fast-moving,playful episodes are set in opposition to slow, painfuldissonance.

The innovative nature of this book is visible aboveall in the cycles of madrigals: much has been writtenabout Monteverdis use of declamation in Vattene purcrudel 8 and the charm of the musical transposition ofthe two cycles taken from Tassos Gerusalemmeliberata (also the source of his later work, Ilcombattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda). Nino Pirrottawrites in Scelte poetiche di musicisti (1987) that theseworks contain singing rather than recitative, becausethe implicit form of performance can avoid the practicaldemands of realistic speech to which performance is toooften subjected ... Song, representation in song, is thedeclared artistic aim. The sequence of three madrigals%-& that begins with the desperate words Vivr fra imiei tormenti sets to music the moment at the end ofthe combat between Tancredi and Clorinda, when theChristian warrior removes his helmet only to realisethat he has unwittingly killed his beloved. A dreamlikeatmosphere is created; the voices seem to fight oneanother, angry impulses alternating with long momentsof reflection. Blinded by anger and the violent contest,Tancredi is now condemned to wander for eternity inremorse and self-hatred: the music perfectly portrayshis confused and bewildered state of mind (beginningof ^ and &). The melodies wander harmonically,sustained only by syllabic repetition intoned on a singlenote, an obsessive, recitative-like repetition. Yet everytime the force builds up it reverberates, leading into anew episode in which other voices overlap, interruptedby the desperate cries of ahi sfortunato ^. Theoutcome of so much sorrow can only be death, thetomba felice, a phrase that expresses the Baroqueconcept of contradiction.

Both the First and Second Books contain extremelyexpressive settings of Tasso, but the Third Booksettings have a new drama and intensity (as does theonly Tasso piece in the Fourth Book, Naxos 8.555310).After an absence in the Fifth and Sixth Books, his workreappears with full dramatic force in Combattimento,Monteverdi himself writing in the foreword to theEighth Book in 1638, I entrusted myself to the divineTasso, whose words so clearly and naturally express the


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Deliti Music

Alessandro Carmignani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . countertenor (cantus) (a)Fabian Schofrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . countertenor (quintus) (b)Gianluigi Ghiringhelli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . countertenor (cantus III) (c)Fabio Frnari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tenor (quintus-altus) (d)Paolo Fanciullacci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tenor (altus) (e)Marco Scavazza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . baritone (tenor) (f)Walter Testolin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bass (bassus) (g)Maurizio Piantelli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . theorbo (h)Carmen Leoni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . harpsichord (i)Marco Longhini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . conductor

Il Terzo Libro de Madrigali, 1592

1 La giovinetta pianta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, e, g, i2 O come gran martire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, h3 Sovra tenere erbette e bianchi fiori . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, i4 .O dolce anima mia, dunque pur vero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g, h5 Stracciami pur il core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, i6 O rossignuol chin queste verdi fronde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, e, g7 Se per estremo ardore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, d, e, f, g8 Vattene pur crudel (part 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g9 L tral sangue (part 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g0 .Poi chella in s torn (part 3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g! O primavera giovent de lanno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, i@ Perfidissimo volto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g# Chio non tami, cor mio? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, h$ Occhi, un tempo mia vita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, e, g, h% Vivr fra i miei tormenti (part 1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g^ Ma dove, oh lasso me! (part 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g& Io pur verr l dove ste (part 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g* Lumi, miei cari lumi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, c, e, f, g, i( .Rimanti in pace (part 1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, h) Ondei, di morte (part 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, h

Urtext Music edited by Andrea Bornstein Ut Orpheus Edizioni, Bologna

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passions he wishes to describe, and I rediscovered hisdescription of the combat between Tancredi andClorinda, giving me the two opposite passions to set tomusic, war, in other words prayer, and death.

Expressing these passions presents challenges interms of both composition and performance: theopening of Vattene pur crudel 8 has to portray thepowerful invective of the sorceress Armida as in herpain and distraction she rails agains Rinaldo who hasdecided to leave her and her enchanted castle to returnto the battlefield. Betrayed and about to collapse ingrief, she invokes terrible curses (whose power is onlymatched by that of her love for him) so that in his finalmoments he will think only of her, with a last, desperatecry of love. Monteverdis setting is brilliant andharrowing; the notes drip with passionate andcontrasting sentiments love and hate break againsteach other as waves break against rocks. Then Armidaslowly faints away 9 in a descending, sinuous,chromatic sequence of notes, at the end of which shefalls senseless to the ground. As she comes round 0,she realises that she is now completely alone: with thesame technique of syllabic repetition and uttering onefinal cry of despair, she collapses and weeps. AsClaudio Gallico notes in Monteverdi (1979), thesepieces from the major poem of the late Renaissance aresemi-operatic and of genuinely theatrical nature.

The inherent passion and intensity of these twocycles recall the Lamento dArianna in the Sixth Book(Naxos 8.555312); similarly the last madrigal in theThird Book is reminiscent of the final intense triptych ofthe First Book, where lyrics by different poets (Guariniand Tasso again) are placed together because of theirsimilarity of content. Monteverdi abides by usualpractice and puts a masterpiece of innovation in thisfinal position Rimanti in pace (, which evokesagain Gerusalemme liberata and the story of Rinaldoand Armida (these being Rinaldos words to theenchantress just before he leaves her). Yet while heretoo a pair of lovers must endure separation, there isnothing epic about the atmosphere created by Liviano

Celiano. Thyrsis and Phyllida are two humbleshepherds who, without averting their gaze from oneanother, part in great sorrow, with words of love, tearsand sighs. Following the text, the music proceedshaltingly, creating contrasts, led only by the feelings ofthe two lovers who seem almost to speak with onevoice. The skilful and expressive use of word-painting,the masterly and inventive descending chromatic scale(like that used in 9) on the words or qui manc lospirto and for the slowly falling tears ofstillandamaro umore, the harmonic instability of dimartir in martir, di doglie in doglie, the use of syllabicrepetition together with distant chords in gli trafisse ilcor all combine to make this one of the greatest worksof the age.

In support of what I have already written in thenotes to accompany Books One and Two about ourdecision to record these works using male voices only, Ishould like to add here that Gustave Reese in Music inthe Renaissance (ch.8, note 162) notes that a re-examination of the Mantua archives leads to theconclusion, despite some historians opinion to thecontrary, that the cappella served both Santa Barbara(the only ducal church in Werts time) and the court.Given that women were not permitted to sing in church,we have deduced that it was common (and popular)practice for madrigals to be performed by men only atthe Mantuan court and throughout Italy at thetime: such sonorities (while very appealing) may seemstrange to modern listeners used to years ofperformance by female voices. Recording these worksin accordance with the earlier practice has been both anobligation and an pleasure for us, and we hope that justas the use of authentic instruments has now foundfavour in Baroque instrumental performance, so thispractice will in future be fully recognised by critics,academics and all those who love true Music.

Marco Longhini

English translation: Susannah Howe


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che l mio cor se ne strugge;volgete a me, volgetequei fuggitivi rai,choggetto non vedretein altra parte maicon s giusto desio,che tanto vostro sia quanto son io.(Battista Guarini)

( Rimanti in pace Prima parte

Rimanti in pace a la dolente e bellaFillida, Tirsi sospirando disse.Rimanti, io me ne vo; tal mi prescrisselegge, empio fato, aspra sorte e rubella.Ed ella ora da luna e laltra stellastillando amaro umore, i lumi affissene i lumi del suo Tirsi e gli trafisseil cor di pietosissime quadrella.(Livio Celiano)

) Ondei, di morte la sua faccia impressa Seconda parte

Ondei, di morte la sua faccia impressa,disse: Ahi, come nandr senza il mio sole,di martir in martir, di doglie in doglie?Ed ella, da singhiozzi e pianti oppressa,fievolmente form queste parole:Deh, cara anima mia, chi mi ti toglie?(Livio Celiano)

that my heart is consumed;bring back to me, bring backthose fugitive rays,for you will never seeelsewhere any otherwith such just desire,who is as much yours as am I.

Stay here in peace, said Thyrsis, sighing,to the lovely and grieving Phyllida.Stay here, I go; as decreed by the law,pitiless destiny, bitter and hostile fate.And then, distilling bitter tearsfrom each of her starry eyes, she fixed her gaze on that of her Thyrsis, and piercedhis heart with the most piteous arrows.

Then he, with death engraved upon his face,said, Alas, how can I go without my sun, from torment to torment, grief to grief?And she, overcome with sobs and tears,faintly formed these words:Ah, my beloved soul, who tears you from me?

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Delitiae MusicaeDelitiae Musicae represents a plausible reconstruction of a cappella music of the Italian Renaissance. Establishedin 1992, it is considered one of the most interesting Italian early music ensembles, with recordings in the last tenyears that include the Missa Philomena praevia of Verdelot, four albums dedicated to Masses of Palestrina basedon the compositions of the Flemish composer Cipriano de Rore, Lupus and Jacquet de Mantua (Choc du disquePrize and 9 de Rpertoire Prize in France and the Spanish Five Stars award), Adrian Willaerts Vespro di Natale(CD Classica editors choice, April 1999) and books of madrigals by Banchieri, Pazzia senile, Saviezza giovenile,Studio dilettevole and Metamorfosi.

Marco LonghiniMarco Longhini graduated as a conductor at the Milan Conservatorio and studiedarchitecture in Venice, after earlier studies in composition, choral music andconducting and singing. He has concentrated his attention in particular on earlymusic and on the rediscovery of often unpublished Italian masterpieces of the past.In addition to his work with Delitiae Musicae, which he founded for the study ofthe repertoire of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, he has a busy career as aconductor of opera, including the Orfeo of Sartorio, oratorios, Masses and sacredmusic, with performances also for Italian Radio (Monteverdis Orfeo). He hasrecorded Cavalieris Rappresentatione di Anima e di Corpo, awarded two Frenchcritics prizes, and Monteverdis Mass and Litanies of the Blessed Virgin, whichwon an Italian critical award. Marco Longhini teaches at the L. MarenzioConservatorio in Brescia.

Deliti Music: Via San Giuseppe, 3a - I 37024 Montecchio di Negrar VREmail: [email protected]


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% Vivr fra i miei tormenti e le mie cure Prima parte

Vivr fra i miei tormenti e le mie cure,mie giuste furie, forsennato, errante;paventer lombre solinghe e scureche l primerror mi recheranno inante,e del sol che scopr le mie sventure,a schivo ed in orror avr il sembiante.Temer me medesmo; e da me stessosempre fuggendavr me sempre appresso.(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XII, 77)

^ Ma dove, oh lasso me! Seconda parte

Ma dove, oh lasso me, dove restarole reliquie del corpo e bello e casto?Ci che in lui sano i miei furor lasciaro,dal furor de le fre forse guasto.Ahi troppo nobil preda! ahi dolce e carotroppo pur troppo prezioso pasto!ahi sfortunato! in cui lombre e le selveirritaron me prima e poi le belve.(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XII, 78)

& Io pur verr l dove ste Terza e ultima parte

Io pur verr l dove ste; e voimeco avr, sanco ste, amate spoglie.Ma segli avien che i vaghi membri suoistati sian cibo di ferine voglie,vuo che la bocca stessa anco me ingoi,e l ventre chiuda me che lor raccoglie:onorata per me tomba [e] felice,ovunque sia, sesser con lor mi lice.(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XII, 79)

* Lumi, miei cari lumi

Lumi, miei cari lumi,che lampeggiate un s veloce sguardocha pena mira e fuggee poi torna s tardo

I shall live midst grief and torment,dreadful remorse, frenzied, wandering;I shall dread the lonely dark shadesthat will ever recall this first mistake,and in fear and horror shall I hold the sight of the sun that shed light on my misfortune. I shall fear myself; and though I try to fleeI shall never be free of myself.

But where, alas, now liethe remains of that lovely and chaste body?That which my violent fury left unharmedhas now perhaps fallen prey to wild beasts.Alas, noble prey! alas, too sweet and dear,unhappy, too precious to be consumed by beasts. Ah, wretch that I am! Tortured first by darknessand thick forest and now by wild animals.

I shall come to the place where you lie; and if you arestill there, I shall stay by your side, beloved remains. But if some savage beast has fed upon your graceful limbs, let its mouth engulf me as well, let it swallow and entomb me:for wherever she lies, if I may be with her, there shall be my honoured, welcome grave.

Eyes whose beloved lightflashes such a fleeting glancethat it scarcely sees before escapingand is so slow to return

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1 La giovinetta pianta

La giovinetta piantasi fa pi bellal sole,quando men arder suole.Ma se fin dentro senteil vivo raggio ardente,dimostran fuor le scolorite spoglielinternardor che la radice accoglie.Cos la verginellaamando si fa bella,quandAmor la lusinga e non loffende.Ma se l suo vivo ardorela penetra nel core,dimostra la sembianza impalliditachardente la radice de la vita. (anonimo)

2 O come gran martire

O come gran martirea celar suo desire,quando con pura fedesama chi non se l crede.O soave mio ardore,o giusto mio desio,sognun ama il suo coree voi ste il cor mio,allor non fia chio vamiquando sar che viver pi non brami.(Battista Guarini)

3 Sovra tenere erbette e bianchi fiori

Sovra tenere erbette e bianchi fioristava Filli sedendone lombra dun alloro,quando li dissi: Cara Filli, io moro.Ed ella a me volgendovergognosetta il viso,fren frangendo fra le rose il riso

The lovely young plantbecomes even more beautiful in the sun,when it is less likely to burn.But if deep within it feelsthe bright and burning ray,its fading leaves show outwardlythe inner passion gathered by its roots.Thus a fair maidenbecomes more beautiful if she loves,when Love flatters and does not offend her.But if its bright passionpenetrates her heart,her outer pallor proveshow ardent is the root of life.

O what suffering it isto conceal desire,when with purest faithone loves another who does not believe.O sweet passion of mine,o righteous desire,if each loves his own heartand you are my heart,then do not make me love you when I no longer wish to live.

On a bank of soft grass, amid white flowersPhyllis was sittingin the shade of a laurelwhen I said to her, Dear Phyllis, I am dying. And turning to meher gently blushing face,among the roses she stifled that laugh


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@ Perfidissimo volto

Perfidissimo volto,ben lusata bellezza in te si vede,ma non lusata fede.Gi mi parevi dir: Questamoroseluci che dolcementerivolgo a te, s belle e s pietose,prima vedrai tu spenteche sia spento il desio cha te le gira.Ahi, ch spentil desio,ma non spento quel per cui sospiralabandonato core.O volto troppo vago e troppo rio,perch se perdi amorenon perdi ancor vaghezza,o non hai pari a la belt fermezza?(Battista Guarini)

# Chio non tami, cor mio?

Chio non tami, cor mio?Chio non sia la tua vita e tu la mia?Che per novo desioe per nova speranza i tabandoni?Prima che questo sia,morte non mi perdoni.Ma se tu sei quel core onde la vitam s dolce gradita,fonte dogni mio ben, dogni desire,come possio lasciarti e non morire?(Battista Guarini)

$ Occhi, un tempo mia vita

Occhi, un tempo mia vita;occhi, di questo cor fido sostegno,voi mi negate, ahim, lusata aita?Tempo ben di morire; a che pi tardo?A che torcete il guardo?Forse per non mirar come vadoro?Mirate almen chio moro.(Battista Guarini)

Most faithless of faces,as clearly as ever do I see the beauty in you,but no longer the fidelity.Once you seemed to say, The light in these loving eyes which I sweetlyturn to you, so beautiful and caring,will you see grow darkbefore my desire for you expires.Alas, that desire has died,but not that for which the abandoned heart sighs. O face, you are too lovely and too cruel,why if you no longer loveare you still so fair,why is your beauty not matched by constancy?

Could it be that I love you not, my heart?That I am not your life, and you mine?That I could leave you for a new desire, a new hope?I should rather be carried away by death.If you are that heart which gives me such sweet and welcome life,source of all I love, all I desire,how can I leave you and not die?

Eyes who were once my life;eyes, you who sustain this faithful heart,alas, do you now deny me the aid of days gone by?It is truly time to die; why delay?Why does your gaze turn away?Perhaps so as not to see how I adore you?Watch at least as I die.

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che per gioia dal corecredo ne trasse Amore.Onde lieta mi disse:Baciami, Tirsi mio,che per desir sento morirmi anchio. (anonimo)

4 O dolce anima mia, dunque pur vero

O dolcanima mia, dunque pur veroche cangiando pensieroper altrui mabbandoni?Se cerchi un cor che pi tadori ed ami,ingiustamente brami;se cerchi lealt, mira che fede,amar quandaltrui donila mia cara mercedee la sperata tua dolce pietate.Ma se cerchi beltate,non mirar me, cor mio, mira te stessain questo volto, in questo cor impressa.(Battista Guarini)

5 Stracciami pur il core

Stracciami pur il core;ragion ben, ingrato,che se tho troppo amatoporti la pena del commesserrore.Ma perch stracci fai de la mia fede?Che colpha linnocente?Se la mia fiamma ardentenon merita mercede,ah, non la merta il mio fedel servire?Ma straccia pur, crudele:non pu morir damor alma fedele.Sorger nel morir quasi fenicela fede mia pi belle pi felice.(Battista Guarini)

which I believe Love gave herout of sheer joy.Then, happy, she said to me,Kiss me, my Thyrsis,for I too am dying of desire.

O my sweet spirit, is it then truethat your thoughts have turned to anotherand you now abandon me?If you seek a heart that loves and adores you more,you yearn in vain;if you seek loyalty, see what faith it isto love when you give to othersthe mercy I loveand the sweet pity I long for.But if you seek beauty,look not at me, my love, look at yourself,you who are imprinted on this face, this heart.

Destroy my heart then;you have good reason, for if I have loved you too well,you bear the burden of my fault. But why destroy my faith?What guilt does the innocent man bear?If my burning passionmerits not pity,ah, does not my faithful service?But do your worst, cruel one:a loyal heart cannot die of love. In death will my faith rise like the phoenix,more joyful and more beautiful.


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9 L tra l sangue e le morti egro giacente Seconda parte

L tra l sangue e le morti egro giacentemi pagherai le pene, empio guerriero.Per nome Armida chiamerai soventene gli ultimi singulti: udir ci spero.Or qui manc lo spirto a la dolente,n questultimo suono espressintero;e cadde tramortita e si diffusedi gelato sudor e i lumi chiuse.(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XVI,60)

0 Poi chella in s torn, deserto e muto Terza e ultima parte

Poi chella in s torn, deserto e mutoquanto mirar pot dintorno scorse.Ito se n pur disse ed ha potutome qui lasciar de la mia vita in forse?N un momento indugi, n un breve aiutonel caso estremo il traditor mi porse?Ed io pur anco lamo, e in questo lidoinvendicata ancor piango e massido?(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XVI,63)

! O primavera, giovent de lanno

O primavera, giovent de lanno,bella madre de fiori,derbe novelle e di novelli amori,tu ben, lasso, ritorni,ma senza i cari giornide le speranze mie.Tu ben sei quellacheri pur dianzi, s vezzosa e bella;ma non son io quel che gi un tempo fui,s caro a gli occhi altrui.(Battista Guarini, Pastor fido, III,I )

there, as you lie suffering, midst death and bloodshed,will you pay for my grief, evil warrior.Again and again will you call on Armidaas you breathe your last: this is my wish.Hardly had she uttered these wordswhen the unhappy womans spirit failedand she fell swooning, senseless, bathed in an icy sweat, her eyes closed.

Then she woke, and saw all around hersuch a desolate, silent place. Is he then gone, she said, and has hewithout pity left me here, my life in peril?Could he not linger one moment, nor offerme succour when most I needed it, the traitor!And yet do I love him still and, unavenged,sit weeping on this shore?

O spring, season of youth,fair mother of flowers,new-grown grass and new-found love,you return, but, alas,without the dear daysof my hopes. You are just what you were, so fair and lovely,but I am not what once I was,so beloved in the eyes of another.

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6 O rossignuol chin queste verdi fronde

O rossignuol chin queste verdi frondesovra l fugace rio fermar ti suoli,e forse a qualche noia ora tinvolidolce cantando al suon de le roche onde;alterna teco in notalte profondela tua compagna, e par che ti consoli.A me, perchio mi strugga e pianti e duoliversi ad ognor, nissun gi mai risponde,n di mio danno si sospira o geme.E te sun dolor preme,pu ristorar un altro piacer vivo,ma io dogni mio ben son casse privo.(Pietro Bembo)

7 Se per estremo ardore

Se per estremardoremorir potesse un core,saria ben arso il miofra tanto incendio rio.Ma come salamandra nel mio focovivo per la mia donna in festa e n gioco.E se mavien talorache per dolcezza i mora,merc dAmor risorgo qual fenicesol per viver ardendognor felice.(Battista Guarini)

8 Vattene pur, crudel, con quella pace Prima parte

Vattene pur, crudel, con quella paceche lasci a me; vattene, iniquo, omai.Me tosto ignudo spirtombra seguaceindivisibilmente a tergo avrai.Nova furia, co serpi e con la facetanto tagiter quanto tamai.E s destin chesca del mar, che schivili scogli e londe e che a la pugna arrivi.(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XVI,59)

O nightingale who favours a perch amongthese green boughs, above the swift-flowing river,maybe you are now hiding from some secret pain, sweetly singing above the raucous sound of the waters;your mate sings both high and low notesin harmony with you, and seems to comfort you.Yet although I suffer and weep and lament without cease, no one answers me,nor does anyone sigh or shed tears over my grief. And if some sorrow touches you,another of lifes pleasures will take its place,but I am deprived of all that I love.

If a heart could die from an excess of ardour,mine would indeed be burnedby such a sinful blaze.But like a salamander I livein my fire for my lady in play and feasting.And if it should be that such sweetness means my death,thanks to Love I shall rise like the phoenixjoyfully to live forever in flames.

Go then, cruel man, go with the same peaceyou wish me; go now, wicked one. Soon shall my shadowy spirit depart my bodyand haunt you for eternity.Just as a fury, with snakes and fireshall I torment you as much as once I loved you.And if fate decrees that you survive the sea, escapethe rocks and waves and reach the field of battle


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@ Perfidissimo volto

Perfidissimo volto,ben lusata bellezza in te si vede,ma non lusata fede.Gi mi parevi dir: Questamoroseluci che dolcementerivolgo a te, s belle e s pietose,prima vedrai tu spenteche sia spento il desio cha te le gira.Ahi, ch spentil desio,ma non spento quel per cui sospiralabandonato core.O volto troppo vago e troppo rio,perch se perdi amorenon perdi ancor vaghezza,o non hai pari a la belt fermezza?(Battista Guarini)

# Chio non tami, cor mio?

Chio non tami, cor mio?Chio non sia la tua vita e tu la mia?Che per novo desioe per nova speranza i tabandoni?Prima che questo sia,morte non mi perdoni.Ma se tu sei quel core onde la vitam s dolce gradita,fonte dogni mio ben, dogni desire,come possio lasciarti e non morire?(Battista Guarini)

$ Occhi, un tempo mia vita

Occhi, un tempo mia vita;occhi, di questo cor fido sostegno,voi mi negate, ahim, lusata aita?Tempo ben di morire; a che pi tardo?A che torcete il guardo?Forse per non mirar come vadoro?Mirate almen chio moro.(Battista Guarini)

Most faithless of faces,as clearly as ever do I see the beauty in you,but no longer the fidelity.Once you seemed to say, The light in these loving eyes which I sweetlyturn to you, so beautiful and caring,will you see grow darkbefore my desire for you expires.Alas, that desire has died,but not that for which the abandoned heart sighs. O face, you are too lovely and too cruel,why if you no longer loveare you still so fair,why is your beauty not matched by constancy?

Could it be that I love you not, my heart?That I am not your life, and you mine?That I could leave you for a new desire, a new hope?I should rather be carried away by death.If you are that heart which gives me such sweet and welcome life,source of all I love, all I desire,how can I leave you and not die?

Eyes who were once my life;eyes, you who sustain this faithful heart,alas, do you now deny me the aid of days gone by?It is truly time to die; why delay?Why does your gaze turn away?Perhaps so as not to see how I adore you?Watch at least as I die.

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che per gioia dal corecredo ne trasse Amore.Onde lieta mi disse:Baciami, Tirsi mio,che per desir sento morirmi anchio. (anonimo)

4 O dolce anima mia, dunque pur vero

O dolcanima mia, dunque pur veroche cangiando pensieroper altrui mabbandoni?Se cerchi un cor che pi tadori ed ami,ingiustamente brami;se cerchi lealt, mira che fede,amar quandaltrui donila mia cara mercedee la sperata tua dolce pietate.Ma se cerchi beltate,non mirar me, cor mio, mira te stessain questo volto, in questo cor impressa.(Battista Guarini)

5 Stracciami pur il core

Stracciami pur il core;ragion ben, ingrato,che se tho troppo amatoporti la pena del commesserrore.Ma perch stracci fai de la mia fede?Che colpha linnocente?Se la mia fiamma ardentenon merita mercede,ah, non la merta il mio fedel servire?Ma straccia pur, crudele:non pu morir damor alma fedele.Sorger nel morir quasi fenicela fede mia pi belle pi felice.(Battista Guarini)

which I believe Love gave herout of sheer joy.Then, happy, she said to me,Kiss me, my Thyrsis,for I too am dying of desire.

O my sweet spirit, is it then truethat your thoughts have turned to anotherand you now abandon me?If you seek a heart that loves and adores you more,you yearn in vain;if you seek loyalty, see what faith it isto love when you give to othersthe mercy I loveand the sweet pity I long for.But if you seek beauty,look not at me, my love, look at yourself,you who are imprinted on this face, this heart.

Destroy my heart then;you have good reason, for if I have loved you too well,you bear the burden of my fault. But why destroy my faith?What guilt does the innocent man bear?If my burning passionmerits not pity,ah, does not my faithful service?But do your worst, cruel one:a loyal heart cannot die of love. In death will my faith rise like the phoenix,more joyful and more beautiful.


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% Vivr fra i miei tormenti e le mie cure Prima parte

Vivr fra i miei tormenti e le mie cure,mie giuste furie, forsennato, errante;paventer lombre solinghe e scureche l primerror mi recheranno inante,e del sol che scopr le mie sventure,a schivo ed in orror avr il sembiante.Temer me medesmo; e da me stessosempre fuggendavr me sempre appresso.(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XII, 77)

^ Ma dove, oh lasso me! Seconda parte

Ma dove, oh lasso me, dove restarole reliquie del corpo e bello e casto?Ci che in lui sano i miei furor lasciaro,dal furor de le fre forse guasto.Ahi troppo nobil preda! ahi dolce e carotroppo pur troppo prezioso pasto!ahi sfortunato! in cui lombre e le selveirritaron me prima e poi le belve.(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XII, 78)

& Io pur verr l dove ste Terza e ultima parte

Io pur verr l dove ste; e voimeco avr, sanco ste, amate spoglie.Ma segli avien che i vaghi membri suoistati sian cibo di ferine voglie,vuo che la bocca stessa anco me ingoi,e l ventre chiuda me che lor raccoglie:onorata per me tomba [e] felice,ovunque sia, sesser con lor mi lice.(Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, XII, 79)

* Lumi, miei cari lumi

Lumi, miei cari lumi,che lampeggiate un s veloce sguardocha pena mira e fuggee poi torna s tardo

I shall live midst grief and torment,dreadful remorse, frenzied, wandering;I shall dread the lonely dark shadesthat will ever recall this first mistake,and in fear and horror shall I hold the sight of the sun that shed light on my misfortune. I shall fear myself; and though I try to fleeI shall never be free of myself.

But where, alas, now liethe remains of that lovely and chaste body?That which my violent fury left unharmedhas now perhaps fallen prey to wild beasts.Alas, noble prey! alas, too sweet and dear,unhappy, too precious to be consumed by beasts. Ah, wretch that I am! Tortured first by darknessand thick forest and now by wild animals.

I shall come to the place where you lie; and if you arestill there, I shall stay by your side, beloved remains. But if some savage beast has fed upon your graceful limbs, let its mouth engulf me as well, let it swallow and entomb me:for wherever she lies, if I may be with her, there shall be my honoured, welcome grave.

Eyes whose beloved lightflashes such a fleeting glancethat it scarcely sees before escapingand is so slow to return

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1 La giovinetta pianta

La giovinetta piantasi fa pi bellal sole,quando men arder suole.Ma se fin dentro senteil vivo raggio ardente,dimostran fuor le scolorite spoglielinternardor che la radice accoglie.Cos la verginellaamando si fa bella,quandAmor la lusinga e non loffende.Ma se l suo vivo ardorela penetra nel core,dimostra la sembianza impalliditachardente la radice de la vita. (anonimo)

2 O come gran martire

O come gran martirea celar suo desire,quando con pura fedesama chi non se l crede.O soave mio ardore,o giusto mio desio,sognun ama il suo coree voi ste il cor mio,allor non fia chio vamiquando sar che viver pi non brami.(Battista Guarini)

3 Sovra tenere erbette e bianchi fiori

Sovra tenere erbette e bianchi fioristava Filli sedendone lombra dun alloro,quando li dissi: Cara Filli, io moro.Ed ella a me volgendovergognosetta il viso,fren frangendo fra le rose il riso

The lovely young plantbecomes even more beautiful in the sun,when it is less likely to burn.But if deep within it feelsthe bright and burning ray,its fading leaves show outwardlythe inner passion gathered by its roots.Thus a fair maidenbecomes more beautiful if she loves,when Love flatters and does not offend her.But if its bright passionpenetrates her heart,her outer pallor proveshow ardent is the root of life.

O what suffering it isto conceal desire,when with purest faithone loves another who does not believe.O sweet passion of mine,o righteous desire,if each loves his own heartand you are my heart,then do not make me love you when I no longer wish to live.

On a bank of soft grass, amid white flowersPhyllis was sittingin the shade of a laurelwhen I said to her, Dear Phyllis, I am dying. And turning to meher gently blushing face,among the roses she stifled that laugh


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che l mio cor se ne strugge;volgete a me, volgetequei fuggitivi rai,choggetto non vedretein altra parte maicon s giusto desio,che tanto vostro sia quanto son io.(Battista Guarini)

( Rimanti in pace Prima parte

Rimanti in pace a la dolente e bellaFillida, Tirsi sospirando disse.Rimanti, io me ne vo; tal mi prescrisselegge, empio fato, aspra sorte e rubella.Ed ella ora da luna e laltra stellastillando amaro umore, i lumi affissene i lumi del suo Tirsi e gli trafisseil cor di pietosissime quadrella.(Livio Celiano)

) Ondei, di morte la sua faccia impressa Seconda parte

Ondei, di morte la sua faccia impressa,disse: Ahi, come nandr senza il mio sole,di martir in martir, di doglie in doglie?Ed ella, da singhiozzi e pianti oppressa,fievolmente form queste parole:Deh, cara anima mia, chi mi ti toglie?(Livio Celiano)

that my heart is consumed;bring back to me, bring backthose fugitive rays,for you will never seeelsewhere any otherwith such just desire,who is as much yours as am I.

Stay here in peace, said Thyrsis, sighing,to the lovely and grieving Phyllida.Stay here, I go; as decreed by the law,pitiless destiny, bitter and hostile fate.And then, distilling bitter tearsfrom each of her starry eyes, she fixed her gaze on that of her Thyrsis, and piercedhis heart with the most piteous arrows.

Then he, with death engraved upon his face,said, Alas, how can I go without my sun, from torment to torment, grief to grief?And she, overcome with sobs and tears,faintly formed these words:Ah, my beloved soul, who tears you from me?

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Delitiae MusicaeDelitiae Musicae represents a plausible reconstruction of a cappella music of the Italian Renaissance. Establishedin 1992, it is considered one of the most interesting Italian early music ensembles, with recordings in the last tenyears that include the Missa Philomena praevia of Verdelot, four albums dedicated to Masses of Palestrina basedon the compositions of the Flemish composer Cipriano de Rore, Lupus and Jacquet de Mantua (Choc du disquePrize and 9 de Rpertoire Prize in France and the Spanish Five Stars award), Adrian Willaerts Vespro di Natale(CD Classica editors choice, April 1999) and books of madrigals by Banchieri, Pazzia senile, Saviezza giovenile,Studio dilettevole and Metamorfosi.

Marco LonghiniMarco Longhini graduated as a conductor at the Milan Conservatorio and studiedarchitecture in Venice, after earlier studies in composition, choral music andconducting and singing. He has concentrated his attention in particular on earlymusic and on the rediscovery of often unpublished Italian masterpieces of the past.In addition to his work with Delitiae Musicae, which he founded for the study ofthe repertoire of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, he has a busy career as aconductor of opera, including the Orfeo of Sartorio, oratorios, Masses and sacredmusic, with performances also for Italian Radio (Monteverdis Orfeo). He hasrecorded Cavalieris Rappresentatione di Anima e di Corpo, awarded two Frenchcritics prizes, and Monteverdis Mass and Litanies of the Blessed Virgin, whichwon an Italian critical award. Marco Longhini teaches at the L. MarenzioConservatorio in Brescia.

Deliti Music: Via San Giuseppe, 3a - I 37024 Montecchio di Negrar VREmail: [email protected]


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Deliti Music

Alessandro Carmignani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . countertenor (cantus) (a)Fabian Schofrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . countertenor (quintus) (b)Gianluigi Ghiringhelli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . countertenor (cantus III) (c)Fabio Frnari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tenor (quintus-altus) (d)Paolo Fanciullacci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tenor (altus) (e)Marco Scavazza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . baritone (tenor) (f)Walter Testolin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bass (bassus) (g)Maurizio Piantelli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . theorbo (h)Carmen Leoni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . harpsichord (i)Marco Longhini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . conductor


1 La giovinetta pianta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, e, g, i2 O come gran martire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, h3 Sovra tenere erbette e bianchi fiori . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, i4 .O dolce anima mia, dunque pur vero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g, h5 Stracciami pur il core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, i6 O rossignuol chin queste verdi fronde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, e, g7 Se per estremo ardore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, d, e, f, g8 Vattene pur crudel (part 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g9 L tral sangue (part 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g0 .Poi chella in s torn (part 3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g! O primavera giovent de lanno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, i@ Perfidissimo volto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g# Chio non tami, cor mio? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, h$ Occhi, un tempo mia vita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, e, g, h% Vivr fra i miei tormenti (part 1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g^ Ma dove, oh lasso me! (part 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g& Io pur verr l dove ste (part 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, e, f, g* Lumi, miei cari lumi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, c, e, f, g, i( .Rimanti in pace (part 1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, h) Ondei, di morte (part 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a, b, d, f, g, h

Urtext Music edited by Andrea Bornstein Ut Orpheus Edizioni, Bologna

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passions he wishes to describe, and I rediscovered hisdescription of the combat between Tancredi andClorinda, giving me the two opposite passions to set tomusic, war, in other words prayer, and death.

Expressing these passions presents challenges interms of both composition and performance: theopening of Vattene pur crudel 8 has to portray thepowerful invective of the sorceress Armida as in herpain and distraction she rails agains Rinaldo who hasdecided to leave her and her enchanted castle to returnto the battlefield. Betrayed and about to collapse ingrief, she invokes terrible curses (whose power is onlymatched by that of her love for him) so that in his finalmoments he will think only of her, with a last, desperatecry of love. Monteverdis setting is brilliant andharrowing; the notes drip with passionate andcontrasting sentiments love and hate break againsteach other as waves break against rocks. Then Armidaslowly faints away 9 in a descending, sinuous,chromatic sequence of notes, at the end of which shefalls senseless to the ground. As she comes round 0,she realises that she is now completely alone: with thesame technique of syllabic repetition and uttering onefinal cry of despair, she collapses and weeps. AsClaudio Gallico notes in Monteverdi (1979), thesepieces from the major poem of the late Renaissance aresemi-operatic and of genuinely theatrical nature.

The inherent passion and intensity of these twocycles recall the Lamento dArianna in the Sixth Book(Naxos 8.555312); similarly the last madrigal in theThird Book is reminiscent of the final intense triptych ofthe First Book, where lyrics by different poets (Guariniand Tasso again) are placed together because of theirsimilarity of content. Monteverdi abides by usualpractice and puts a masterpiece of innovation in thisfinal position Rimanti in pace (, which evokesagain Gerusalemme liberata and the story of Rinaldoand Armida (these being Rinaldos words to theenchantress just before he leaves her). Yet while heretoo a pair of lovers must endure separation, there isnothing epic about the atmosphere created by Liviano

Celiano. Thyrsis and Phyllida are two humbleshepherds who, without averting their gaze from oneanother, part in great sorrow, with words of love, tearsand sighs. Following the text, the music proceedshaltingly, creating contrasts, led only by the feelings ofthe two lovers who seem almost to speak with onevoice. The skilful and expressive use of word-painting,the masterly and inventive descending chromatic scale(like that used in 9) on the words or qui manc lospirto and for the slowly falling tears ofstillandamaro umore, the harmonic instability of dimartir in martir, di doglie in doglie, the use of syllabicrepetition together with distant chords in gli trafisse ilcor all combine to make this one of the greatest worksof the age.

In support of what I have already written in thenotes to accompany Books One and Two about ourdecision to record these works using male voices only, Ishould like to add here that Gustave Reese in Music inthe Renaissance (ch.8, note 162) notes that a re-examination of the Mantua archives leads to theconclusion, despite some historians opinion to thecontrary, that the cappella served both Santa Barbara(the only ducal church in Werts time) and the court.Given that women were not permitted to sing in church,we have deduced that it was common (and popular)practice for madrigals to be performed by men only atthe Mantuan court and throughout Italy at thetime: such sonorities (while very appealing) may seemstrange to modern listeners used to years ofperformance by female voices. Recording these worksin accordance with the earlier practice has been both anobligation and an pleasure for us, and we hope that justas the use of authentic instruments has now foundfavour in Baroque instrumental performance, so thispractice will in future be fully recognised by critics,academics and all those who love true Music.

Marco Longhini

English translation: Susannah Howe


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Frontispiece of the original 1592 edition

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small number of male singers and instrumentalists, weknow from contemporary reports such as that by theFlorentine ambassador in 1571, that at least until 1598(the year in which the last heir of Alfonso II dEste diedand the Ferrara dukedom passed into the hands of theRoman Church), larger-scale concerts of around sixtysingers and instrumentalists were staged. These wereundoubtedly exceptional events, proof both of theesteem in which the art form was held and of the greatwealth of Ferrara. Given the regular cultural contestsand exchanges between the latter and Mantua, it iscertainly plausible that Monteverdi might have writtenpieces expressly dedicated to the Ladies of Ferrara.Three such pieces appear here: O come granmartire 2 a superb depiction of that cultured world andof the way in which such feelings would have to beexperienced intimately and without outward show atcourt; Lumi, miei cari lumi *; and O rossignuol 6. Thelatter two songs make frequent and effective use ofmadrigalismi, or word-painting (to be found on thewords veloce and tardo in Lumi, miei for example;while in O rossignuol, a swiftly undulating theme onrio comes to a standstill on the words fermartisuoli, the nightingales song takes flight in a volley ofnotes, and the words of suffering, tears and pain, alwayspresent in such texts, are treated with dissonantharmonies).

The text of one of the Third Books most famouspieces, O primavera, giovent dellanno ! is takenfrom Mirtillos monologue at the beginning of ActThree of Il pastor fido. This pastoral drama was afavourite of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga, as proved byreports of a sumptuous staging in 1598 (after a failedattempt in 1591). We do not know for sure, but it seemslikely that this madrigal was included in thatperformance. The text is polarised between ever-renewing nature with her promise of the joy of new lifeand an unhappy lover nostalgically recalling a love nowlost for ever; the contrast between these sentiments ismade even stronger by the music fast-moving,playful episodes are set in opposition to slow, painfuldissonance.

The innovative nature of this book is visible aboveall in the cycles of madrigals: much has been writtenabout Monteverdis use of declamation in Vattene purcrudel 8 and the charm of the musical transposition ofthe two cycles taken from Tassos Gerusalemmeliberata (also the source of his later work, Ilcombattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda). Nino Pirrottawrites in Scelte poetiche di musicisti (1987) that theseworks contain singing rather than recitative, becausethe implicit form of performance can avoid the practicaldemands of realistic speech to which performance is toooften subjected ... Song, representation in song, is thedeclared artistic aim. The sequence of three madrigals%-& that begins with the desperate words Vivr fra imiei tormenti sets to music the moment at the end ofthe combat between Tancredi and Clorinda, when theChristian warrior removes his helmet only to realisethat he has unwittingly killed his beloved. A dreamlikeatmosphere is created; the voices seem to fight oneanother, angry impulses alternating with long momentsof reflection. Blinded by anger and the violent contest,Tancredi is now condemned to wander for eternity inremorse and self-hatred: the music perfectly portrayshis confused and bewildered state of mind (beginningof ^ and &). The melodies wander harmonically,sustained only by syllabic repetition intoned on a singlenote, an obsessive, recitative-like repetition. Yet everytime the force builds up it reverberates, leading into anew episode in which other voices overlap, interruptedby the desperate cries of ahi sfortunato ^. Theoutcome of so much sorrow can only be death, thetomba felice, a phrase that expresses the Baroqueconcept of contradiction.

Both the First and Second Books contain extremelyexpressive settings of Tasso, but the Third Booksettings have a new drama and intensity (as does theonly Tasso piece in the Fourth Book, Naxos 8.555310).After an absence in the Fifth and Sixth Books, his workreappears with full dramatic force in Combattimento,Monteverdi himself writing in the foreword to theEighth Book in 1638, I entrusted myself to the divineTasso, whose words so clearly and naturally express the


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Monteverdis Third Book of Madrigals was publishedin Venice in 1592 by Ricciardo Amadino and soldextremely well, with five reprints before 1611. Twofurther editions published in 1615 and 1621 included abasso continuo line for harpsichord, chittarone or othersimilar instrument to aid the instrumentalists whowould otherwise have had to work out their part fromthe vocal parts and transcribe it by hand. Thesemadrigals were clearly in the performance repertoiretherefore for a good thirty years (quite remarkablegiven the rapidly changing tastes at the turn of thesixteenth century as monody and opera developed) andwere the composers first major success. Having beenengaged two years earlier by the Gonzaga family at thecourt of Mantua as a humble singer of madrigals andviol-player, by 1592 Monteverdi was also working as acomposer alongside Giaches de Wert, maestro dicappella at the ducal chapel of Santa Barbara (where allthe major sacred ceremonies of the court took place).By that time Wert was suffering from various illnesses,including smallpox and malaria, and Monteverdi, keento make his name and hoping to succeed Wert,dedicated his Third Book to Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga,partly out of respect, but also well aware that he wasoffering mature and tasty fruit that would be of greatinterest in the cultural atmosphere of the time. There isno mention here, as there was in the First and SecondBooks (Naxos 8.555307 and 8.555308), of either hisorigins or his teachers: as a court musician he had bothassimilated and become part of the sophisticated culturethat had always fascinated him. The Third Book isclearly influenced by the musical, literary, architecturaland other artistic splendours of the Mantuan court. It isan innovative, at times revolutionary work, full of boldexpressive features, which draws once again on thepoems of Torquato Tasso and Giovanni Battista Guarini(the author of one of the most famous Renaissancetexts, Il pastor fido (1589), who was visiting Mantua atthe time).

The first madrigal, La giovinetta pianta, sets ananonymous text and is well constructed but not overlyinteresting musically even though it was usual practicefor the first (and last) pieces of such a work to beremarkable in some way or another (a practiceMonteverdi had followed in the Second Book andwould do again in the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth, Naxos8.555310, 8.555311 and 8.555312). As with the FirstBook, however, what matters most here is not musicalinnovation but the tribute to the dedicatee: VincenzoGonzaga, hedonist, spendthrift and libertine (not unlikeVerdis Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto...) would no doubthave been pleased by the explicitly mischievous andsensual references in a text encouraging young girls totake enjoyment in love.

Love is once again the principal theme of thesesongs, whether in subtle portrayals of sensuality, as inSovra tenere erbette 3, or as the source of pain when alovers feelings are unrequited or he is betrayed 4 and@. Betrayal is also the theme of the very beautifulChio non tami # with its tormented finale on thewords come possio lasciarti e non morire, and ofOcchi un tempo mia vita $ , with its wealth ofcontrasting attitudes depicted by the masterly use ofhorizontal counterpoint (for expressions of love) andvertical harmony (for moments of reluctance and innerpain).

Several of the madrigals in this book (for examplethe seventh and twelfth) are characterized by a longopening passage written for a single voice (a sign of thetrend by then to separate out the voices and personalisethem by providing solo introductions), or for the trio ofthe top three voices. Many academics believe that thispoints to a connection with the Concerto delle Dame diFerrara, one of the few all-female groups inRenaissance Italy (made up of noblewomen and singersvisiting the Ferrarese court). Their flawless taste,technique and virtuosity were renowned throughoutEurope; while the usual cappella was made up of a a

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)Madrigals Book III


Early Music Alte Musik

ClaudioMONTEVERDIMadrigals Book 3

Deliti Music Marco Longhini

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Monteverdis Third Book of Madrigals, published in 1592 and dedicated to Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga ofMantua, was the composers first major success and described by him as mature and tasty fruit.Clearly influenced by the artistic splendours of the Mantuan court, it is an innovative and at timesrevolutionary work in which drama and intensity of feeling, allied with a wide range of musicaltechniques, including declamation and dissonance, are taken to even greater expressive heights than inthe First Book (Naxos 8.555307) and the Second Book (Naxos 8.555308). This is particularly evident inthe two three-part cycles, Vattene pur crudel (Go then, cruel man) and Vivr fra i miei tormenti (I shall livemidst grief and torment), set to texts from Tassos Gerusalemme liberata (Jerusalem Delivered). In linewith recent research into performance practice of the time, all the singers on this recording are men.

ClaudioMONTEVERDI

(1567-1643)Madrigals Book 3

Deliti Music Marco LonghiniRecorded in the Chiesa di San Pietro in Vincoli, Azzago - Verona, Italy. from 26th to 31th May 2002

Producers: Lodovico and Marco Longhini Engineer: Michael SeberichRecorded using 24 bit 96 khz technology for high definition sound

Recording Supervisor: Antonio Scavuzzo Booklet Notes: Marco LonghiniCover Image: Music-making, fresco in Music Room (detail) by Giovanni Antonio Fasolo (c.1530-72)

(The Art Archive / Villa Caldogno Pagello Caldogno Italy / Dagli Orti)

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Il Terzo Libro de Madrigali, 15921 La giovinetta pianta 3:132 O come gran martire 3:493 Sovra tenere erbette

e bianchi fiori 3:394 O dolce anima mia,

dunque pur vero 3:315 Stracciami pur il core 3:126 O rossignuol chin queste

verdi fronde 4:387 Se per estremo ardore 3:278 Vattene pur crudel 2:09

9 L tral sangue 3:210 Poi chella in s torn 3:36! O primavera giovent de lanno 3:33@ Perfidissimo volto 3:31# Chio non tami, cor mio? 5:11$ Occhi, un tempo mia vita 3:10% Vivr fra i miei tormenti 1:49^ Ma dove, oh lasso me! 3:09& Io pur verr l dove ste 2:40* Lumi, miei cari lumi 2:50( Rimanti in pace 4:01) Ondei, di morte 4:36

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Monteverdi 3