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Carlos Gesualdo Research Paper

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Carlo Gesualdo was born on March 8, 1566 in Naples, Italy to the Second Prince of Venosa -what is now called Province of Potenza, Southern Italy. Carlo had an older brother named Luigi who was born three years earlier but unexpectedly died in 1584. Although not much is known about Carlos childhood, we know that his mother died when he was just seven years old from an unknown cause. “Carlo showed an intense interest in music from the time he was very young, he played the lute, harpsichord, and guitar.” After his mother’s death Carlo, as per his request, was sent to Rome so that he could pursue an ecclesiastical career. When Carlos’s brother died in 1584 he became the designated successor and decided to disregard his ecclesiastical career and married his first cousin, Donna Maria d'Avalos. They gave birth to one son named Emanuele. The two were married for several years when Carlo found out that his wife, Donna, …show more content…

The murders made him infamous. Gesualdo's published music falls into three categories: sacred vocal music, secular vocal music, and instrumental music, but Carlos most famous work is his six books of Madrigals, all of which were published between 1594 and 1611. His books are often praised for his experiments with harmonic progression, cross-relation and violent rhythmic contrast which is said to mostly been seen in his later books, the best examples of this would be the madrigals “Beltà, poi che t'assenti” and "Moro, lasso, al mio duolo". “Characteristic of the Gesualdo style is a sectional format in which relatively slow-tempo passages of wild, occasionally shocking chromaticism alternate with quick-tempo diatonic passages. Gesualdo was particularly fond of chromatic third relations, for instance juxtaposing the chords of A major and F major, or even C-sharp major and A minor, as he does for example at the beginning of "Moro, lasso, al mio

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