THE POPULARITY OF MADRIGALS 1580-1620

Lyrics used by English madrigal composers were less poetic than their Italian models.

Sometimes the wotds were written by the composer.

Texts tended to be based on pastoral, ethical,religious issues.

eg May Day

nymphs and shepherds

Oriana

Amaryllis

rejected suitors.

light, cheerful

celebratory

solemn

mourning.

Simplicity of form

strophic- verse and refrain

through composed madrigals which are subdivided into a number of sections.

homophonic punctuation used to end sections.

use of repetition

Vivid illustations of the text through the music----

word painting

using harmonic devices such as use of pedal, suspensdions, modulation, chromaticism, false relations, augmented chords.

rhythmic devices such as syncopation, hemiola, dotted rhythms, triplets, changes of metre

melodic devices

textural devices such as homophony, imitation, reduced scoring, pairing of voices/vocal groups.

Change of tonality major, minor, chromaticism.

Melodies  were mainly constructed using risng and falling scales, repetition, augmentation and diminution

Chromaticism was used sparingly