General Biography on Monteverdi

History has rightly acclaimed Claudio Monteverdi as one of the most significant composers of all time. So much of what transpired in subsequent centuries, especially in regard to vocal music, would have been fundamentally different without Monteverdi’s contributions. He was the seminal figure in the transition from the massive polyphonic edifices of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance to the directed tonality of the Baroque. His innovations in harmony and dissonance treatment marked him as a harbinger of the “new practice,” while they also brought him into a prominent debate over the future of music. In essence, his greatness may be attributed to his appreciation and careful respect for superlative poetry; it was Monteverdi who championed text expression and its emotive power over purely musical considerations of counterpoint and form. Influencing both the broad and narrow directions in music, Monteverdi has been called the “Father of Modern Opera” and the “Father of the Dominant Seventh Chord,” to name but two very different distinctions. He published eight books of secular madrigals between 1587 and 1638 (a ninth book appeared posthumously).
The term madrigal actually refers to two different genres: (1) a poetico-musical form of two-part counterpoint that emerged in Italy around 1320 and died out within a century; and (2) an affective, (typically) secular setting of Petrarchan poetry developed in Italy and elsewhere after 1520. It is the latter usage that most listeners today understand by the term. The madrigal’s origins may be traced to older vocal forms such as the frottola and chanson, but what sets it apart is the degree of expressivity and chromatic experimentation, its popular strain, and the quality of its poetry. The madrigal’s home was Venice, where it developed in the hands of Willaert, Rore, and Arcadelt. Monteverdi played a crucial role by introducing the concerted element: a basic voice plus accompaniment texture, though he never shied away from five- and six-part chordal harmony and the accompaniment could range from austere to full.

(c) Jason Stell