Music Group 2023-01-19

Carlo Gesualdo

Moro, lasso, al mio duolo
Moro, lasso, al mio duolo:
e chi mi può dar vita?
Ahi, che m’ancide e non vuol darmi aita.

--

I am dying, alas, of sorrow
I am dying, alas, of sorrow:
and the one who might save me,
alas, is killing me and will not help me.

Sio non miro non moro

"If I look not, I die". I love the dissonance at the beginning and non resolving 7th chords.

O vos omnes

"All you". Sacred work (1611) from the Tenbrae Responsories.

Da pacem Domine (arr. Stravinsky)

Assumpta est Maria (arr. Stravinsky)

Illumina nos (arr. Stravinsky)

Finally for bonus credit, he was influential on many later composers, both his music and life. Alfred Schnittke wrote an opera Gesualdo, and Stravinsky arranged several of his pieces for choir Tres sacrae contiones.

From my reading and listening, I think a few things are important about understanding his life and music:

    1. Gesualdo (1560 to 1613) had a complicated life and probably suffered 
from depression and mental illness (especially later in life).
    2. The brutality and guilt of the murder of his wife and her lover (1590)
deeply affected him throughout the remainder of his life.
    3. The words of his music are as important as the music (word paintings).
Madrigals typically were about lighter subjects such as love and romance.  
His seem to have a very dark focus on themes related to separation, suffering and death.
    4. His style changed throughout life as aged.
He was part of the aristocracy and seemed to have the luxury of writing music
for himself as he got older.However, he had a desire to publish but did so under different names, 
as this was not considered appropriate for gentry.

I found a couple of really good articles (with musical samples)
that outline the progression of his music:

Carlo Gesualdo: A chromatic scale of life.

Who was Carlo Gesualdo?

Music Group 2023-01-19 Carlo Gesualdo

Music Group 2023-01-19

Carlo Gesualdo