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Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (; 15 May 1567 (baptized) – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.
Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition: the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque and the heritage of Renaissance polyphony. Enjoying fame in his lifetime, he wrote one of the earliest operas, L'Orfeo, which is still regularly performed.
Claudio Monteverdi was born in 1567 in Cremona, a town in Northern Italy. His father was Baldassare Monteverdi, a doctor, apothecary and surgeon. He was the oldest of five children. During his childhood, he was taught by Marc'Antonio Ingegneri, the maestro di cappella (The Maestro di capella’s job was to conduct important worship services in accordance with the liturgy books of the Roman Catholic Church). at the Cathedral of Cremona. Monteverdi learned about music by being part of the cathedral choir. He also studied at the University of Cremona. His first five compositions were: Cantiunculae Sacrae, 1582; Madrigal Spirituali, 1583; the three-part canzonets, 1584; and the five-part madrigals– Book I, 1587, and Book II, 1590. By 1587, he had produced his first book of secular madrigals. Monteverdi worked for the court of Mantua first as a singer and violist, then as music director. He worked at the court of Vincenzo I of Gonzaga in Mantua as a vocalist and viol player. In 1602, he was working as the court conductor. who died in September 1607. He and his wife had two boys (Francesco and Massimilino) and one girl (Leonora - another daughter died shortly after birth).
By 1613, he had moved to the San Marco in Venice where, as conductor, he quickly restored the musical standard of both the choir and the instrumentalists. The musical standard had declined due to the financial mismanagement of his predecessor, Giulio Cesare Martinengo. L'incoronazione especially is considered a culminating point of Monteverdi's work. It contains tragic, romantic, and comedic scenes (a new development in opera), a more realistic portrayal of the characters, and warmer melodies than previously heard. It requires a smaller orchestra, and has a less prominent role for the choir. For a long period of time, Monteverdi's operas were merely regarded as a historical or musical interest. Since the 1960s, The Coronation of Poppea has re-entered the repertoire of major opera companies worldwide.
Monteverdi died in Venice on 29 November 1643
The titles of his Madrigal books are: Book 1, 1587: Madrigali a cinque voci
The book is divided into sections of War and Love each containing madrigals, a piece in dramatic form (genere rappresentativo), and a ballet. In the Madrigals of War, Monteverdi has organized poetry that describes the pursuits of love through the allegory of war; the hunt for love, and the battle to find love. In the second half of the book, the Madrigals of Love, Monteverdi organized poetry that describes the unhappiness of being in love, unfaithfulness, and ungrateful lovers that feel no shame. In his previous madrigal collections, Monteverdi usually set poetry from one or two poets he was in contact with through the court where he was employed. The Book 8 Madrigals of War and Love represent an overview of the poets he has dealt with throughout his life; the classical poetry of Petrarch, poetry by his contemporaries (Tasso, Guarini, Marino, Rinuccini, Testi and Strozzi), or anonymous poets that Monteverdi found and adapted to his needs.
Madrigals of War # Altri canti d’Amor tenero arciero (Let others sing about the archers love, Anonymous Sonnet) ## is preceded by a sinfonia introduction that is written for four violins and viola da gamba. The madrigal that follows, serves as an introduction to the piece and a dedication to Ferdinand III.'' # Hor che’l ciel e la terre ‘l vento tace (Now that the sky, earth and wind are silent) Sonnet by Petrarch, ## is the first significant poetic work of the collection in which Monteverdi splits into two sections. In the first section, his poetry introduces the idea of the wars of love, in which he yearns for someone to love him. ### "War is my condition full of anger and grief, and only when thinking of her do I find some peace." ### In the second section, "Thus from a single bright and living fountain" (Cosi sol duna chiara fonte viva) the symbolism of war continues: #### "One hand alone cures me and stabs me. And, so that my torture may never end, a thousand times daily I die, a thousand I am born,so distant am I from my salvation." # Gira il nemico insidioso Amore (The enemy insidious in love is encircling the citadel of my heart) Canzonetta by Giulio Strozzi # Se vittorie si belle han le guerre d’amore (If love’s wars have such beautiful victories) madrigal by Fulvio Testi # Armato il cor d’adamanina fede (My heart armed with adamantine faith) madrigal by Ottavio Rinuccini # Ogni amante e guerrier: nel suo gran regno (Every lover is a warrior: in his great kingdom) madrigal by Ottavio Rinuccini # Ardo, avvampo, mi struggo, ardo: accorrete (I burn, I blaze, I am consumed, I burn; come running) Anonymous Sonnet # Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda) from Torquato Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata, Canto XII ## was originally composed and performed at the home of Girolamo Mocenigo (1624) and includes the dramatic scene in which the orchestra and voices form two separate entities, acting as counterparts. Most likely Monteverdi was inspired to try this arrangement because of the two opposite balconies in San Marco. 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. # Introduzione al ballo e ballo (Introduction of the ballet, and the ballet) Sonnet by Ottavio Rinuccini
Madrigals of Love # Altri canti di Marte- Due sua schiera (Let others sing of the bold assaults) Sonnet by Marino # Vago augelletto che cantando vai (Lovely little bird, who are you singing about) Sonnet by Petrarch # Mentre vaga angioletta (While a charming, angelic girl attracts every wellborn soul with her singing) madrigal by Guarini # Ardo e scoprir, ahi lasso, io non ardisco (I burn and, alas, I do not have the courage to reveal that burning which I bear hidden in my breast) Anonymous, madrigal # O sia tranquillo il mare o pien d’orgoglio (Whether the sea be still or swelled with pride) Anonymous, Sonnet # Ninfa che, scalza il piede e sciolto il crine (Nymph, who with bare feet and hair undone) Anonymous madrigal # Dolcissimo uscignolo (Sweetest nightingale) madrigal by Guarini # Chi vol haver felice e lieto il core (Whoever wishes to have a happy joyful heart) madrigal by Guarini # Non Havea Febo ancora: Lamento della ninfa (Phoebus had not yet: The Lament of the Nymph) Canzonetta by Rinuccini # Perche te n fuggi, o Fillide? (Why do you run away, Phyllis?) Anonymous madrigal # Non partir, ritrosetta (Do not depart, maiden averse to love) Anonymous canzonetta # Su, Su, Su, pastorelli vezzosi (Come, come, come, charming shepherd lads) Anonymous Canzonetta # Ballo delle ingrate (Entrance and Final ballet of the Ungrateful Women) ## The Ballet of the Ungrateful Women was originally composed for the 1608 wedding of Francesco Gonzaga and was revived in 1628 for a performance in Vienna.
Also:
Category:Renaissance composers Category:Baroque composers Category:Italian composers Category:Opera composers Category:People from Cremona Category:1567 births Category:1643 deaths Category:Ballet composers Category:Madrigal composers
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Campion was first published as a poet in 1591 with five of his works appearing in an edition of Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella. The Songs of Mourning: Bewailing the Untimely Death of Prince Henry (1613), were set to music by John Cooper. He also wrote a number of other poems as well as a book on poetry, Observations in the Art of English Poesie (1602), in which he criticises the practice of rhyming in poetry.
Campion wrote over one hundred lute songs in the Books of Airs, with the first collection (co-written with Philip Rosseter) appearing in 1601 and four more following throughout the 1610s. He also wrote a number of masques, including Lord Hay's Masque performed in 1607, along with Somerset Masque and The Lord's Masque which premiered in 1613. Some of Campion's works were quite ribald on the other hand, such as "Beauty, since you so much desire" (see media). In 1615 he published a book on counterpoint, A New Way of Making Fowre Parts in Counterpoint By a Most Familiar and Infallible Rule, which was regarded highly enough to be reprinted in 1660.
He was implicated in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, but was eventually exonerated, as it was found that he had delivered a bribe unwittingly.
Campion died in London, possibly of the plague.
Early dictionary writers, such as Fétis saw Campion as a theorist. It was much later on that people began to see him as a composer.
He was the writer of a poem, Cherry Ripe, which is not the later famous poem of that title but has several similarities.
Category:1567 births Category:1620 deaths Category:English composers Category:Baroque composers Category:Composers for lute Category:People of the Tudor period Category:English poets Category:Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge Category:Renaissance composers
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.