Composer

:

Carlo Gesualdo

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Madrigal

Compose Date

:

1595

Average_duration

:

3:04

"Sospirava il mio core" is a madrigal composed by Carlo Gesualdo, an Italian composer and nobleman of the late Renaissance period. The piece was composed in the late 16th century and is part of Gesualdo's sixth book of madrigals, published in 1611. The piece is written for five voices, with the text taken from a poem by Giovanni Battista Guarini. The poem describes the speaker's longing for his beloved, who is absent and causing him great pain. Gesualdo's setting of the text is characterized by its intense chromaticism and dissonance, which heighten the emotional intensity of the text. The piece is divided into two sections, with the first section featuring a series of sighing motifs in the upper voices that evoke the speaker's longing and pain. The second section features a more lively and rhythmic texture, with the voices imitating each other in a series of playful and virtuosic passages. Overall, "Sospirava il mio core" is a prime example of Gesualdo's highly expressive and experimental style, which pushed the boundaries of traditional Renaissance harmony and paved the way for the development of Baroque music. The piece remains a popular and challenging work for vocal ensembles to this day.

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