O Dolcezze Amarissime
Madrigali, Ricercari and Canzoni strumentali from 17th Century Italy
Contests listed after review
Roberta Invernizzi (soprano)
Accademia Strumentale Italiana/Alberto Rasi
rec. 2012, Chiesa di Nazareth, Verona, Italy
Texts included, no translations
Reviewed as a digital download from Proper
Fineline FL72419 [58]

From ancient times until well into the 18th century, the human voice was considered the superior instrument, and because of that vocal music was rated higher than instrumental music. In the course of time, the voice was treated in different ways, though. Until the mid-16th century, the intelligibility of the text did not concern composers very much, and that gave them the freedom to write a dense polyphonic web, in which all the voices were treated on equal footing.

That changed in the mid-16th century in Italy, when composers started to write music which illustrated elements in the text. This culminated in the style which emerged around 1600 and is known as seconda pratica. The main exponents of that style, such as Claudio Monteverdi and Guilio Caccini, did not invent the principle of text illustration. Composers such as Cipriano de Rore, Giaches de Wert and Claudio Merulo all played a part in the emancipation of the text. In the dedication of his first book of four-part madrigals of 1569, Marc’Antonio Mazzone described the relationship between words and music in a comparison between body and soul. “The body of music is the notes, and words are the soul. And as the soul is nobler than the body, it [the body] must follow the soul and imitate it, thus must the notes follow the words and imitate them”.

The ideal became what was known as musica poetica – a term first used by Nicolaus Listenius in a treatise published in Wittenberg (Germany) in 1533. This became the foundation of what is known as Figurenlehre: the use of musical figures to depict a text. In addition, harmony became an important instrument for the expression of the words and the emotions they aimed to communicate. These ideals were especially applied to a genre that developed into the main form of musical entertainment: the madrigal.

Between the mid-16th century and the second quarter of the 17th century numerous collections of madrigals, mostly for four or five voices, were published. Today we are used to hearing them in performances by vocal ensembles, singing without any instrumental accompaniment. However, that was just one way to perform them. It is historically documented that they could be performed by a mixture of voices and instruments, or even with one voice and an instrumental ensemble, as is the case on the disc which is the subject of this review.

The liner-notes to this disc refer to Giovan Tommaso Cimello, who in the title of his first book of four-part madrigals indicates that instruments can be used as it includes “the most necessary information about what must be observed by the instruments, as well as helpful comments on the notes, so that singers and instrumentalists may be able to perform the pieces together”. Another indication of this practice can be found in the Lettione seconda pur della prattica di sonar il violone d’arco da tasti of 1543 by Silvestro Ganassi; it includes an arrangement of a madrigal for a mixture of voices and instruments. He also comments that if vocal parts are played instrumentally, they may need to be adapted to the instruments that are used. It is also notable that collections of music were published which included both madrigals and instrumental pieces.

Obviously, this practice raises some questions. One of these is, if vocal parts are performed instrumentally, where does that leave the ideal of expressing a text? However, one could argue that such a performance is more in line with the ideals of musica poetica than a purely vocal performance. The liner-notes quote Gioseffo Zarlino, who in 1558 wrote: “Only if music is recited with understanding and approaches the performance mode of antiquity, meaning a simple form in which singing is accompanied by a lyre, a lute or a similar instrument (…) does it unfold its effect.” In fact, with this statement he points in the direction of performance practice after the turn of the century, when, for instance, Giulio Caccini published a collection of songs for solo voice and basso continuo. Zarlino goes on by saying that the use of counterpoint could compromise the intelligibility of the text. To avoid this, one voice could be sung, whereas the others could be played, “especially by viols or other string instruments which are able to maintain their sound”.

The present disc is a demonstration of a way of performing madrigals that may have been widespread, but is seldom practised these days. The listener who has a thorough knowledge of the world of the Italian madrigal may be surprised to hear such works in a combination of a soprano and a consort of viols. That is probably especially the case in those madrigals that are rather well-known, such as those by Claudio Monteverdi and Carlo Gesualdo. In the latter’s madrigals, harmony plays a major role: he frequently uses dissonances and chromaticism to express elements in a text. That comes off very well here, especially thanks to the contrast between the voice and the viols.

The madrigals are alternated with instrumental pieces. All except one are canzonas – specimens of a genre that is rooted in vocal music. This results in a strong coherence within the programme; there is a strong similarity between the canzonas and the madrigals. That is emphasized by the way the two genres are treated. Roberta Invernizzi is the ideal interpreter of the vocal parts. She has a clear voice and sings with admirable flexibility; the text is clearly intelligible. The Accademia Strumentale Italiana has a vocal style of playing, which includes a fine dynamic shading. The only issue may be that the voice is probably a bit too loud in comparison to the instruments and is rather a soloist than one of the voices in the ensemble.

However, given the overall level of the performances this is a minor detail, which in no way compromises my appreciation of this recording. It is a major contribution to the discography. It is surprising that there are twelve years between the date of recording and the year this disc was released (2024). At the time of recording, this approach must have been rather rare. I have heard some recordings with such performances, but even today this performance practice is not very common, certainly not in the madrigals by Gesualdo. Anyway, to many, this disc may offer a different perspective on an important genre of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Johan van Veen

http://www.musica-dei-donum.org

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Contents:

Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (1566-1613)
Asciugate i begli occhi
Luca Marenzio (1553-1599)
Due rose fresche (1. parte) – Non vede un simil (2. parte)
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
Canzon II a 4 sopra Romanesca
Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa
Se vi duol il mio duolo
Gioseffo Guami (1540-1611)
Canzon XI La Morale
Giovanni Gabrieli (1557-1612)
Da quei begl’occhi (C 99)
Giaches de Wert (1535-1596)
Ah, dolente partita!
Giovanni Gabrieli
Donna leggiadra e bella (C 93)
Luzzasco Luzzaschi (1545-1607)
Ricercare X
Giaches de Wert
Dolcezze amarissime d’amore
Vago augelletto che cantando vai (1. parte) – Io non so se la parti sarian pari (2. parte)
Tarquinio Merula (1595-1665)
Canzon La Merula
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
La bocca onde l’asprissime parole (SV 54)
Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa
O tenebroso giorno 
Giovanni Maria Trabaci (c1575-1647)
Canzone francese VII cromatica
Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa
Piagne e sospira
Gioseffo Guami
Canzon VIII La Gentile
Claudio Monteverdi
Cantai un tempo, e se fu dolce il canto (SV 59)