Type: Book
by
- Claudio Monteverdi
39 of Monteverdi's finest madrigals with new English line-for-line literal translations of the poems facing the Italian text. Preface and translations by Stanley Appelbaum.
Claudio Monteverdi
MADRIGALS
Books IV and V
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) ranks not only as a major composer of the Early
Baroque, but also as one of the most important and influential figures in music
history. His madrigals-secular songs usually on the theme of love and written for a
small number of voices, often unaccompanied-are now the subject of much study,
recording and performance. Recognized today for their profound effect on the
transition from the polyphonic style of the late Renaissance to the declamatory
homophonic style of the Baroque, they are among the greatest musical legacies
from the past.
This convenient edition presenting both Books IV and V makes available for the
first time 39 of Monteverdi's finest madrigals in one inexpensive paperbound
volume. Originally published at the turn of the seventeenth century, they represent
"the peak of the music that Monteverdi produced in the first half of his life" (New
Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians) and the beginning of a new
homophonic tradition that was to flower in the operas of the Baroque. Extremely
moving, they express Monteverdi's revolutionary idea-seconda prattica-
stressing the emotion of the words over the strict polyphonic structure of the music.
Amateurs and professionals alike will enjoy the new English line-for-line translations
of the poems facing the reliable Italian text printed in verse form. Mostly for
five unaccompanied voices, the madrigals (20 in Book IV and 19 in Book V) have
been carefully reproduced and enlarged from the epoch-making edition prepared
by the Venetian composer Gian Francesco Malipiero in 1927. Included are a new
preface, translations of Monteverdi's prefaces, identification of the poets, and
historical discussion. Ideal for amateur get-togethers, professional performances,
and vocal study and practice, this sturdy, affordable edition will be treasured by
Monteverdi fans for years to come.
Unabridged republication of Tomo IV and Tomo V of Tutte le opere di Claudio
Monteverdi, published "nel Vittoriale degli Italiani," 1927. Publisher's Note.
English translations of texts and other new editorial apparatus by Stanley
Appelbaum. 272pp. 8 1/8 X 11. Paperbound.
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