So, who likes Monteverdi 'round here?

[baksheesh]

Bin' listenin' to Monteverdi a lot lately, and I was wondering if anyone else digs him and/or has gotten to see/hear his music in live performance.

Also, I admit to having a real partiality for the Madrigals, particularly the mid period - Books III, IV, V, and to a lesser extent VI, before he started including a lot more instrumental writing as well. I much prefer the purity and sublime beauty of those vocal lines, with maybe a lone continuo on harpsichord, or some such old school instrument.

Also recently got L'Orfeo and Il Ritorno D'Ulisse in Patria, his two major operas, which are going down pretty smooth I have to say.
's funny, 'cos old Monteverdi doesn't seem to get the reps he ought to these days.

All hail Monteverdi!

[walto]

I'm a fan.

BTW, the difference between his earlier and later work isn't solely a matter of instrumentation preferences. The style is quite a bit different--the later stuff is less contrapuntal and beginning to sound like early Baroque.

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by walto

I'm a fan.

BTW, the difference between his earlier and later work isn't solely a matter of instrumentation preferences. The style is quite a bit different--the later stuff is less contrapuntal and beginning to sound like early Baroque.

Glad to hear it! And you're totally right of course, his style did evolve gradually into a more Baroque style, particularly some of the Sinfonia he wrote as introductions for the operas and stuff.
Is there any of the Madrigal Books that particularly appeals to you?

[lonely-at-the-top]

I am not much of a fan of the old spiritual Monteverdi (same goes for Teleman and Händel) but I have one old recording of Poppea by Harnoncourt with this fab voice of Cathy Berberian. Its her to make me like it

[Pedantic Wretch]

Originally Posted by baksheesh

'cos old Monteverdi doesn't seem to get the reps he ought to these days.

In the sub-world of Early Music enthusiasm, his reputation is pretty unassailable, and he's one of the only composers pre-Bach to have a certain amount of wider 'name recognition' (although the 'reps' of all early composers are much greater now than they were 50 years ago). Agreed with your general sentiment: in most instances I would rather listen to a few voices singing a Monteverdi madrigal (any book, really) than some Romantic juggernaut from a symphony orchestra. There is a clarity of texture that was arguably lost in subsequent centuries in the rush to create ever bigger spectacles (except in the realm of chamber music).

For those wishing to try something in the English language from the same period, the madrigals of John Wilbye are pretty interesting, as well as the multi-voice arrangements of the songs of John Dowland (as recorded in the late 70s/80s by the Consort of Musicke, who also recorded Monteverdi, in interpretations that have fallen out of fashion somewhat). More generally, the period from about 1590-1630 seems to have been one of the most fruitful in history for secular vocal music.

[baksheesh]

Good call! I do have a Cd of the English madrigals by various hands, including classics like Fyre, fyre, and Fair Phyliss. I have a particular fondness for that last one because we used to sing it in our vocal class in music college. It was required for the course and I can't sing a note to save my life, so I kept getting hauled up for hitting bum notes!
It's all good, but to my mind the 'clarity of texture' in Monteverdi's unaccompanied, contrapuntal madrigals allow the utter beauty of the music to shine through. And a lot of it is pretty melancholy stuff too, but in a good way.