CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI

'Claudio Monteverdi' (May 15, 1567 (baptized) – November 29, 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.
His work marks the transition from Renaissance to Baroque music, and during his long life he produced works that can be classified in both categories. Monteverdi has been regarded as a revolutionary who brought about change in musical style. He wrote one of the earliest operas, ''Orfeo'', which is also the earliest opera to remain dramatically viable by modern standards and is still regularly staged today. He was fortunate enough to enjoy fame during his lifetime.

Contents

Life and works

Compositions

References

See also

Media

External links

Further reading

Life and works

Claudio Monteverdi was born in 1567 in Cremona, in Northern Italy. During his childhood he studied with Marc'Antonio Ingegneri, who was ''maestro di cappella'' at the cathedral in Cremona. There is no record that he sang in the cathedral choir, and so it is likely that the lessons were private. Monteverdi produced his first music for publication—some motets and sacred madrigals—in only 1582 and 1583, which makes him something of a child prodigy. In 1587 he produced his first book of secular madrigals, and shortly thereafter began to look for work outside of his native town.
In 1590, Monteverdi began working at the court of Vincenzo I of Gonzaga in Mantua as a vocalist and viol player, and by 1602 he had become conductor there. Until his fortieth birthday he mainly worked on madrigals, composing nine books of them in all. The ''Quinto Libro'' (Fifth Book), published in 1605, was at the heart of the controversy between Monteverdi and Giovanni Artusi. The latter attacked the "crudities" and "license" of the modern style of composing, centering his attacks on madrigals (including ''Cruda Amarilli'' from the ''Quinto Libro'' (See Fabbri "Monteverdi" pg 60), see Media, below) from the fourth book. Monteverdi made his reply in the introduction to the fifth book, with a proposal of the division of musical practice into two streams which he called ''prima pratica'', and ''seconda pratica''. ''Prima pratica'' being the previous polyphonic ideal of the sixteenth century, with flowing strict counterpoint, prepared dissonance, and equality of voices; and ''seconda pratica'' using much freer counterpoint with an increasing hierarchy of voices, emphasising soprano and bass. This represents a move towards the new style of monody. The introduction of a continuo instrumental part in many of the madrigals of the book is a further self-consciously modern feature. In addition, the fifth book showed the beginnings of conscious functional tonality. The ''Ottavo Libro'', published in 1638, includes the so-called ''Madrigali dei guerrieri ed amorosi'' which many consider to be the perfection of the madrigal form. As a whole, the first eight books of madrigals show the enormous development from the Renaissance polyphonic music to the monodic style which is typical of Baroque music. The ninth book of madrigals, published posthumously in 1651, contains lighter pieces such as canzonettas, probably composed throughout his lifetime and representing both styles.
From monody (with its emphasis on clear melodic lines, intelligible text and placid accompanying music), it was a logical step to begin composing opera, especially for a dramatically inclined composer who also loved grand effect. In 1607 the premiere of his first opera, ''L'Orfeo'', took place in Mantua. It was normal at that time for composers to create works on demand for special occasions, and this piece was part of the ducal celebrations of carnival . (Monteverdi was later to write for the first opera houses supported by ticket sales which opened in Venice).

''L'Orfeo'' is marked by its dramatic power and lively orchestration. Indeed, this piece is arguably the first example of a composer assigning specific instruments to parts, and it is also one of the first large compositions in which the exact instrumentation of the premiere has come down to us. The plot is described in vivid musical pictures and the melodies are linear and clear. With this opera Monteverdi had created an entirely new style of music, the ''dramma per musica'' (musical drama) as it was called. Monteverdi's operas are usually labelled "pre-baroque" or "early-baroque".
Monteverdi's next large-scale work was the ''Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610'' (The Vespers of the Blessed Virgin 1610). The published work is on a very grand scale and there has been some controversy as to whether all the movements were intended to be performed in a single service. However, there are various indications of internal unity. In its scope it foreshadows such summits of Baroque music as Handel's ''Messiah'', and J.S. Bach's ''St Matthew Passion''. Each part (there are twenty-five in total) is fully developed in both a musical and dramatic sense - the instrumental textures are used to precise dramatic and emotional effect, in a way that had not been seen before.
The Vespers of 1610 are also one of the best examples of early repetition and contrast, with many of the parts having a clear ''ritornello''.
In 1613 Monteverdi was appointed as conductor at San Marco in Venice, where he soon restored the musical standards of both the choir and instrumentalists, which had withered under the financial mismanagement of his predecessor, Giulio Cesare Martinengo. The managers of the basilica were relieved to have such a distinguished musician to take the post, where music had been in decline since the death of Giovanni Croce in 1609.
While in Venice, Monteverdi also finished his sixth, seventh and eighth books of madrigals. The eighth is the largest, containing works written over a thirty-year period, including the dramatic scene ''Tancredi e Clorinda'' (1624), in which the orchestra and voices form two separate entities; they act as counterparts. Most likely Monteverdi was inspired to try this arrangement because of the two opposite balconies in San Marco, which had inspired much similar music from composers there, such as Gabrieli. What made this composition also stand out is the first-time use of string ''tremolo'' (fast repetition of the same tone) and ''pizzicato'' (plucking strings with fingers) for special effect in dramatic scenes.
During the last years of his life, when Monteverdi was often ill, he composed his two last masterpieces, both operas: ''Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria'' (''The Return of Ulysses'', 1641), and the historic opera ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (''The Coronation of Poppea'', 1642), based on the life of the Roman emperor Nero. ''L'incoronazione'' especially is considered a culminating point of Monteverdi's work. It contains tragic, romantic, as well as comic scenes (a new development in opera), more realistic portrayal of the characters, and warmer melodies than had previously been heard. It requires a smaller orchestra, and has a less prominent role for the choir.
His most famous student was Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), who made his second trip to Venice in 1628, taking the new style back with him to Germany and adapting it to the German language.
Monteverdi was ordained a Catholic priest ^[1] in 1632.^[2] He died in Venice and is buried in the church of the Frari.

Compositions

Monteverdi composed at least eighteen operas, of which only ''L'Orfeo'', ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'', ''Il ritorno'', and the famous aria "Lamento" from his second opera ''l'Arianna'' have survived:

★ ''L'Arianna'' (only ''Lamento d'Arianna'' survived)

★ ''L'Orfeo''

★ ''Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria''

★ ''L'incoronazione di Poppea''
Other works include secular and sacred compositions:

★ ''Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda''

★ ''Vespro della Beata Vergine''

★ ''Selva Morale e Spirituale'' (1640)

★ ''Scherzi Musicali''
Books of madrigals:

★ ''Madrigali spirituali a quattro voci posti in musica da Claudio Monteverde Cremonese, discepolo del Signor Marc'Antonio Ingegnieri'' (1583)

★ ''Madrigali a cinque voci di Claudio Monteverde Cremonese discepolo del Sig.r Marc'Antonio Ingegnieri... Libro primo'' (Venice, 1587)

★ ''Il secondo libro de madrigali a cinque voci di Claudio Monteverde Cremonese discepolo del Sig.r Ingegneri'' (Venice, 1590)

★ ''Di Claudio Monteverde il terzo libro de madrigali a cinque voci'' (Venice, 1592)

★ ''Il quatro libro de madrigali a cinque voci di Claudio Monteverdi Maestro della Musica del Ser.mo Sig.r Duca di Mantova'' (Venice, 1603)

★ ''Il quinto libro de madrigali a cinque voci di Claudio Monteverdi Maestro della Musica del Serenissimo Sig.r Duca di Mantoa, col basso continuo per il Clavicembano, Chittarone, od altro simile istromento; fatto particolarmente per li sei ultimi, per li altri a beneplacito'' (Venice, 1605)

★ ''Il sesto libro de madrigali a cinque voci, con uno dialogo a sette, con il suo basso continuo per poterli concertare nel clavacembano, et altri stromenti. Di Claudio Monteverde Maestro di Cappella della Sereniss. Sig. di Venetia in S. Marco'' (Venice, 1614)

★ ''Concerto. Settimo libro di madrigali a 1.2.3.4. sei voci, con altri generi de canti di Claudio Monteverde Maestro di Capella della Serenissima Republica'' (Venice, 1619)

★ ''Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi con alcuni opuscoli in genere rappresentativo, che saranno per brevi Episodij fra i canti senza gesto. Libro ottavo di Claudio Monteverde Maestro di Capella della Serenissima Republica di Venetia'' (Venice, 1638)

★ ''Madrigali e canzonette a due e tre voci del signor Claudio Monteverde già Maestro di Cappella della Serenissima Republica di enetia... Libro nono'' (Venice, 1651)

References

1. Claudio Monteverde, at ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', 1910.
2. Called "Reverendo" in the dedication of ''Scherzi musicali'' of 1632

See also

★

★

Media

''

External links

★

★ English translations of the Fourth Book of Monteverdi's Madrigals (Quarto libro dei madrigali) at http://marshall.charles.googlepages.com

★ Comprehensive collection of scores by Monteverdi at ChoralWiki

★

★

★ Website devoted to Monteverdi's ''Vespers'' of 1610

★ Lauda Jerusalem from ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' as interactive hypermedia at the BinAural Collaborative Hypertext

Further reading

★ Denis Arnold, ''Monteverdi.'' London, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1975. ISBN 0-460-03155-4

★ Manfred Bukofzer, ''Music in the Baroque Era''. New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1947. ISBN 0-393-09745-5

★ Tim Carter, ''Music in Late Renaissance and Early Baroque Italy''. Amadeus Press, 1992. ISBN 0-931340-53-5

★ Monteverdi, , Paolo, Fabbri, Cambridge University Press, ,

★ The Letters of Claudio Monteverdi, , Claudio, Monteverdi, , 1980,

★ Leo Schrade, ''Monteverdi''. London, Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-575-01472-5

★ Monteverdi (Music in Transition), , Silke, Leopold, Clarendon Press, 1991,