MADRIGAL

MADRIGAL. The term “madrigal”

has two distinct unconnected
meanings:
A poetic and musical form of
th
the 14 century Italy and a
th th
16 or 17 century setting
of secular verse.
 It is a piece for
several solo voices set to a short
poem, usually about love using a
vernacular language.
During a courtly
social gatherings and meetings
of learned and artistic societies
madrigals are sung.
 It is both homophonic
and polyphonic in texture. This
kind of music often uses unusual
harmonies, vernacular languages
and word paintings (musical
representation).
Madrigals begin in Italy around
1520. thousands of them were
published in the 156th century.
 Translated madrigals
LUTE
were published in London in
1558.
Italian madrigals are simpler
in melody and harmony while
the English ones are lighter
and more humorous.
Lute was one of the most popular
instrument of the Renaissance.It has
a pear-shaped body, frets and a
varying numbers of strings.
 Musical horizon
expanded as with the other arts.
Number of composers and
performers increased. It was
expected that every educated
individual was expected to be
trained in music; just keeping
with the Renaissance ideal of the
“universal man”.
 In the Renaissance as in
the Middle Ages, vocal music was more
important than instrumental music.
Traditionally, voices were accompanied
by instruments. Played music was
intended for singing.
In early 1500s,
instrumental music was adapted from
vocal music. However, in the 16th
century, it increasingly emancipated.
from vocal models.
 Many compositions were
written for instruments. Musical
composers began to exploit instr-
uments’ particular capacities
when writing instrumental solos
and purely instrumental forms
were developed. Many instrume-
nts were intended for dancing.
 Instruments in the
renaissance have less brilliant
and softer sounds. Most came
in families of three to eight that
range from sopranos to bass.
Some of themusical instruments
are harpsichord, viols and lute.
Harpsichord and lute were used
as an accompaniment of a
madrigal.
Secular Verse
Verse relating to worldly
things or to things that are
not regarded as religious, s
piritual, or sacred
A Vernacular language is
the native language or native
dialect of a specific population,
especially as distinguished from a
literary,national or
standard language, or a lingua
franca used in the region or state
inhabited by that population
Homophonic (or homophony) consists of a
single, dominating melody that is
accompanied by chords. Sometimes the
chords move at the same rhythm as the
melody; other times the chords are made up
of voices that move in counterpoint to each
other.
Polyphonic texture ("many sounds;"
noun: polyphony) describes a musical
texture in which two or more melodic lines
of relatively equal importance are
performed simultaneously.