Considering this question, it is worth discussing the Monteverdi’s “Concerto”, his seventh book of madrigals, which was published in Venice in 1619 by printer Bartolomeo Magni. It is also worth stating that this particular set of madrigals came five years after the Monteverdi’s “Sixth Book” of madrigals (Longhini). The overall impression of the “Concerto” is that Monteverdi has introduced a radically new concept of madrigal and the following paragraphs will provide the reasons, why it is so.
Just at the beginning of this madrigals’ book, the author has included a magnificent dedication addressed to Catherine de’ Medici in a form of a sonnet performed by an anonymous admirer. It is worth reminding that Catherine was one of the members of the most powerful Italian families being then the rulers of Florence; in addition, she was also a daughter of Queen of France – Catherine de’ Medici – obviously more famous and controversial personality compared to her granddaughter. With this dedication, the author tried to establish and support good relationships with her husband – Ferdinando Gonzada, the Duke of Mantua. It is worth stating in this regard that the Monteverdi’s relations with the Duke have been disputable and uncertain, as the first was always insulted by the lack of attention from Duke’s side being impressed by the creation of the famous European composers and musicians of those times. Having left Mantua in 1614, it appeared more than logical for him to issue his “Sixth Book” depicting the themes of farewell and parting, as he still remembered the time he spent with the Duke and his wife.
Still, Monteverdi was also glad he moved to Venice, as this city was one of the most progressive European centers of culture and science; furthermore, it has introduced a new concept of political power that differed radically from the rest of the country. In particular, the city along with its related territories were not ruled by a singe governor be it a prince or a duke. Instead, the territory enjoyed a status of autonomy in both political and religious terms. For example, the St Mark’s Basilica had its Patriarch independent of authority of Rome, as he was not appointed by the Pope either. Correspondingly, Monteverdi faced a radically different concept of political, religious and cultural life, which influenced him to extent that his works have changed accordingly. Thus, in his further works, his life in Mantua was rarely recognized; indeed, the “Seventh Book” contains one sole reference to his previous life with the aforementioned dedication to Catherine. In particular, he stated that “these compositions of mine shall be a public and true testament of my devoted affection for the house of Gonzaga, whose faithful servant I was for some decades” (Longhini).
Furthermore, the author’s wish to search for something new in the new environment was irrevocable, as he never chose to turn back to service of the Duke regardless of the invitations of the last. For Monteverdi, it became much more important to have a stable position with satisfactory income and without the uncertain peculiarities of his previous life with the Duke. His new place of service became the aforementioned Basilica of St Marc, where he had enough space, time and resources to experiment with the composition of his creation. Therefore, it appeared logical that his “Seventh Book” of madrigals has become something different, in terms of both musical and stylistic forms.
Among the 32 compositions comprising the “Seventh Book” of madrigals, there is no traditional five-voices’ madrigal, as Monteverdi has offered an experimental approach towards composing them. Instead, he created his madrigals composed for 1-4 voices, each of these containing basso continuo and some of them having accompaniment of violins. In addition, the collection of madrigals appeared to be heterogeneous to an extent that the author used the title “Concerto” to name it. It should be stated that the traditional meaning of this term has been defined as highlighting the contrasts between harmony in corresponding parts along with the contradictions of instruments and voices designed particularly to sound solid together. In this regard, the art of constructing such concerto is achieving the perfect balance between these parts. Being an experimental approach towards composing, the Monteverdi’s “Concerto” has logically been criticized and not accepted by the musical traditionalists, nevertheless.
However, the same rationale of this book is easily seen compared to the author’s previous works. Firstly, the vocal structures tend to develop and change through the course of the book; furthermore, the order of the development is precisely structured according to the corresponding vocal ranges. Secondly, this set of madrigals has its corresponding similarities with opera, as the plot of the set is being developed gradually, from the prologue to the “choral” final piece. This was actually something Monteverdi could not afford himself to change, as it appeared to be similar to changing the opera structure – the greatest insult to the music of those times. Still, he managed to continuously change the mood of his madrigals, from drama to joy, from prayerfulness to eroticism etc.
Moreover, the duets represented in this particular set of madrigals is proven extremely innovative and progressive in terms of composition of those times: love scenes performed in theatrically comic and tender way are changing with the fragments illustrating desperate intensity and emotional expressiveness. All of these undoubtedly prove the genius of Monteverdi with his unique ability to create emotion, pathos and turbulence. One of the fundamental elements of “Concerto” is the Giambattista Marino’s “Rime amorose” depicting the erotic themes of close relationships. And the final duet becomes the symbol of the reunion of the lovers along with the choral celebration of this event.
It is worth concluding that the majority of Monteverdi’s works were still related more to love and romantic themes rather than sacred ones. However, it is a famous and well-known fact that in 1632, he became a priest and remained at this post till the end of his life. During the last period of his life, he composed and published his famous masterpieces “Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria” and “L’incoronazione di Poppea” based upon the corresponding historical records of Ulysses and Nero, the Roman Emperor (Sadie and Grove).
In particular, it is necessary to conclude that even during his sacred period of time and his direct service in church, his compositions mostly remained secular and historic. However, in his works, the romantic themes and themes of love and relationships have always been contrasted against the traditional religious perceptions of love and eroticism. The aforementioned set of madrigals has discussed the sensitive concept of “kiss”, which was merely appropriate for the madrigals of those times, which has also complemented the composer’s innovativeness in the musical scene of those times.
Works Cited
Longhini, Marco. "MONTEVERDI, C.: Madrigals, Book 7, "Concerto" (Il Settimo Libro De Madrigali, 1619)". Naxos.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
Sadie, Stanley, and George Grove. The New Grove Dictionary Of Music And Musicians. Print.
