I was going to say something similar. I had to stop and comment on the extra special modulations on the opening theme before watching the rest of the video.
9:14 That is the funniest thing I've ever seen in a music educational video. I was making that exact dog face as I was listening! Head tilt, eyebrows, everything.
An amazing presentation of Gesualdo's music with illuminating examples. You manage to stay clear of the sensationalist hype surrounding the person of Gesualdo and clearly bring out his innovations, while also providing the musical context within which he operated. He didn't compose in a musical vacuum, and through the comparison with other composers you show that very clearly. The cartoons of disapproving contemporary authorities raising their warning forefingers are hilarious.
- Who is afraid of Carlo Gesualdo? - Me, but only when he returns in his Arnold Schoenberg form... Lovely "spiciness" in the opening/closing theme, Elam. Very magical and disquieting - but in a mischievous, not terrifying way.
Dear Sir, I have been following the Early Music Sources channel for some time. Each of your videos represents a moment of inspiration, profound learning and joy for me. Today, I feel so honored that you mentioned my music "The Prince of Venosa", for string quartet, as a work inspired by Gesualdo. Thank you so much... Have a wonderful day!
I have always found Gesualdo's music very inspiring. The freedom, the hauntingly unexpected dissonances, the overall beauty and thought/emotion provoking quality of his compositions... It is special stuff, for sure. Congrats on your music career, sir!! Blessings to you!
Last week, inspired by this video, I made an arrangement of Moro lasso for the small sax and euphonium jazz ensemble I play in. I told them this is one of the most notorious madrigals of late renaissance. Neither of them knows any early music. We played it yesterday. They said they wouldn‘t understand. Those were only normal jazz harmonies. LOL. Sounds surprisingly great for 2 alto, 1 tenor, euphonium and baritone sax even though I had to transpose down a major third. Will be performed in the next concert.
Years ago I sang with a chamber choir that performed some sacred motets by Gesualdo. The more I studied the relationship between his music and the texts he set, the more I came to understand the significance of his genius. Your excellent presentation here has added so much more, putting him in a fuller context. Bravo!
Beautifully done, Elam, thank you! When I first heard Gesualdo played at uni, I thought 'What blessed madness is this?!' I really liked what you said about his perhaps not having been an innovator per se but more willing to freely express ideas already in the air. It's always seemed to me that Gesualdo's particular flavour of madness was the extent to which the emotive capabilities of music were perhaps more important to him than the 'rules'. As you imply, far too much has been made of his wild, impulsive, and maybe scandalous nature. But I also don't think it would be a stretch to say that the guy was driven. After all, how many composers (even with considerable financial resources) would have undertaken the work and expense of meticulously publishing their own compositions. That's some dedication! I guess today we might judge him to be 'on the spectrum'? Whether true or not, I'm happy to consider myself in Gesualdo's strange company of misfits. I should mention that I think about Gesualdo and his music enough that I often call my dog Gesualdo (it's not his name). Unfortunately, he's more a fan of Caccini. ;-)
Vincenzo Galilei with a burn book, and ol' Zarlino rolling his eyes as he admonishes an unprepared fourth. Laughed hard so often during this video: does it go in the education playlist or the humour one?? Elam Rotem + friends: you are so awesome.
Hey there! I'm currently a Masters student in music, and I just wanted to say that I learn a ton from every one of your videos! Incredibly eye-opening and thought provoking. Makes me think about music in a completely different way. Bravo!
I've been waiting for this episode for ages, really excellent as usual, thank you! Gesualdo's music would really suit a Renaissance-themed Halloween party 😱🎃
What a fantastic video! Thanks for all those other composers you name, most of which I haven't heard of. And big thanks that you also give a short reflection on how Gesulado influences the 20th and 21st centuries!
Hi Elam, I casually found your channel and I want to thank you for the precise and complete explanations: I am deeply tied to Gesualdo as I started to sing in the Civic Chorus in Milan his Responsoria Sabbati Sancti almost 40 years ago... even if our repertorium arrived up to Strawinsky, we played other early music authors such as Guillame de Machaut, Monteverdi and so on: including Gesualdo, those 3 composers gave the music something new in their own historical periods; your clear examination of Gesualdo composition is making me more aware of the reasons I love his music. I will surely follow since now your channel, thanks a lot for your commitment!
I like Gesualdo's music. I like the way it sounds and moves. I think it's an odd mix of not being expected or unexpected. It is itself and complete. A satisfying listen.
Great work. The qualitiy of the content was never at question, so I just want to add my appreciation for the really high production quality. It equals with expensive TV-shows.
Hi Elam! I'm loving going through your programs one by one. I take your point that Gesualdo was neither the inventor of a new harmonic approach nor the only one utilizing it. What I feel makes him unique is the keen and specific way he paints text (pace Galilei). His shorter phrases reflect the quicksilver emotive changes in the poetry, and for that I have high regard for him. Written as a singer, madrigalist, and teacher of Italian music history, albeit with less early music expertise than yourself!
I recently discovered this channel and I'm already a huge fanboy. I'm an enthusiastic amateur singer who fell in love with Renaissance and Early Baroque 30 years ago. Keep up the good work and the nerdiness is wonderful
Fascinating as usual; thank you. Gesualdo was touted in a lecture I heard decades ago as one of the early composers who didn’t bother with cadences. I guess that was oversimplification !
I did not particularly know Gesualdo, other than as a name. I thought your presentation was very helpful, and I did really like the music. I will pursue more of his stuff, in the future. Thank you. I 've been a classical music fan for years, but I am only now beginning to find I like a great deal of Baroque and "early" music. For me, it's a big World NOT explored, after hearing lots of popular, and modern stuff. I am sort of shocked that there is so much that you rarely hear, and that it is curious, daring & fresh. I didn't know. it gives me some new late life enthusiasm!
Ah... so glad to see you tackle Gesualdo. Sincerely, compared to some of the other composers who wrote similar music in those times, somehow, Gesualdo seems to have done the better job of it. I don't think he was as insane as often regarded given his colorful past, though... just fortunate, and perhaps a bit misunderstood, particularly from a modern perspective. I also don't think his music was as innovative as people think, but more refined in the use of the techniques available to him.
Agree, I bought into the legend of "OMG advanced chromaticism from a villainous nobleman" and that didn't help in actually listening to the music or putting it in context.
And yes, the opening theme, always varied according to the topic of the video, is a most marvelous cherry on top of the cake. A sign of distinction reserved to a labor of love.
I just learned about Gesualdo in history a few weeks ago. I had the closed captioning running once and it heard "Gesualdo" as "Jazz Waldo." So now that's what I call him. I think considering the creepiness of Waldo (just somehow being everything at once) and the chromatic nature of his music, "Jazz Waldo" is actually kind of suitable.
Fantastic video! Would you ever consider doing a video about one of Gesualdo's musical rivals, Marc'Antonia Ingegneri? He's one of my absolute favourite early music composers, but I've not been able to find much about his life
When I was a young and prodigiously ignorant student, I managed to find a rare book written by a relatively obscure art historian during the Fifties. The book was "L' Antirinascimento", by Eugenio Battisti. It was a very interesting examination of the roots of the Manierismo. And I discovered that the rebellion against the pure and harmonic symmetry typical of every expression of the art of the Rinascimento was as old as the Rinascimento itself. I warmly recommend this beautiful book to everyone interested in deepening their comprehension of that complex and often contradictory phenomenon known as the Italian Rinascimento. By the way, excellent video. Thanks.
Great work people, it is truly a great lecture if you could appreciate! He is one of my personal favorite composer of all times since I've heard about him, roughly 25 years. I will dive deep into the movies that you've credited and also the other resources. Grazie tanto...
As always, here's a fabulous topic in an irresistible video, enormously informative, carefully contextualized, rigorously presented and exquisitely edited. AND gorgeously sung, by both groups. Thank you so much.
Rennaissance spooky scary music is ABSOLUTELY banging. I will try and make a playlist for my personal pleasure and scoring! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!😊
When I was in graduate school in historical musicology and taking a course in modal (16th-century) counterpoint, Professor Green was fond of reminding us that "composers make the rules."
I love the "check out the footnotes on our web page" insert at 23:41. "1. Bla bla bla bla bla ..." in a fancy font with some random years thrown in. :-)
I find quite similar dissonances already in Monteverdi. And both here and there, when one adjusts their “listening logic” they sound perfectly appropriate.
Great film. I would have concentrated on Book 5 if it had been me. Some great bangers in there, whereas Book 6 is a bit over-ripe with less good tunes (and you haven't mentioned the fact that he used repetition in a similar way to Debussy imho). Such a brilliant channel and you are doing incredible work. Thank you.
I've recently been trying out 31-tone equal temperament, but in a more modern manner. In addition to being very close to quarter comma meantone, it also has an extremely good approximation of the seventh harmonic, which makes a lot of septimal intervals available as an expansion of conventional harmony, like for example the harmonic seventh 7:4.
Have just noticed the intro music is now different with a higher pitch on the second part :) Or, perhaps since I'm using slightly better headphones, but there's a new variation where it goes up and turns down :) I don't remember so it must be new. Great video as always
Gesualdo be like: "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your great-great-grandkids are gonna love it."
Thanks. You made my day!
Except... it turns out that the great grandkids only want to hear I V vi IV. 😞
@@FahlmanCascade the sound that opens wallets
Hahaha Back To The Future 👏👏👏👏😂😂😂
"Hey you, get your damn hands off her" escalated rather quickly
Omigosh, the special theme song is killer!
I was going to say something similar. I had to stop and comment on the extra special modulations on the opening theme before watching the rest of the video.
Whether you like Gesualdo's music or it makes you claw your ears off, his eyebrows cannot be ignored.
9:14 That is the funniest thing I've ever seen in a music educational video. I was making that exact dog face as I was listening! Head tilt, eyebrows, everything.
14:26 "Beautiful! Back to Gesualdo..." 😂🔥
An amazing presentation of Gesualdo's music with illuminating examples. You manage to stay clear of the sensationalist hype surrounding the person of Gesualdo and clearly bring out his innovations, while also providing the musical context within which he operated. He didn't compose in a musical vacuum, and through the comparison with other composers you show that very clearly. The cartoons of disapproving contemporary authorities raising their warning forefingers are hilarious.
- Who is afraid of Carlo Gesualdo?
- Me, but only when he returns in his Arnold Schoenberg form...
Lovely "spiciness" in the opening/closing theme, Elam. Very magical and disquieting - but in a mischievous, not terrifying way.
In a Harry Potter/ Tchaikovsky way.
@@henrikmulders8633 It _is_ very "ye olde sugar-plum fairy". 😁
Dear Sir, I have been following the Early Music Sources channel for some time. Each of your videos represents a moment of inspiration, profound learning and joy for me. Today, I feel so honored that you mentioned my music "The Prince of Venosa", for string quartet, as a work inspired by Gesualdo. Thank you so much... Have a wonderful day!
I have always found Gesualdo's music very inspiring. The freedom, the hauntingly unexpected dissonances, the overall beauty and thought/emotion provoking quality of his compositions... It is special stuff, for sure. Congrats on your music career, sir!! Blessings to you!
I liked your piece very much.
@@JonathanBrown1 Thank you, Jonathan.
Last week, inspired by this video, I made an arrangement of Moro lasso for the small sax and euphonium jazz ensemble I play in. I told them this is one of the most notorious madrigals of late renaissance. Neither of them knows any early music.
We played it yesterday. They said they wouldn‘t understand. Those were only normal jazz harmonies. LOL.
Sounds surprisingly great for 2 alto, 1 tenor, euphonium and baritone sax even though I had to transpose down a major third. Will be performed in the next concert.
Years ago I sang with a chamber choir that performed some sacred motets by Gesualdo. The more I studied the relationship between his music and the texts he set, the more I came to understand the significance of his genius. Your excellent presentation here has added so much more, putting him in a fuller context. Bravo!
Beautifully done, Elam, thank you! When I first heard Gesualdo played at uni, I thought 'What blessed madness is this?!' I really liked what you said about his perhaps not having been an innovator per se but more willing to freely express ideas already in the air. It's always seemed to me that Gesualdo's particular flavour of madness was the extent to which the emotive capabilities of music were perhaps more important to him than the 'rules'. As you imply, far too much has been made of his wild, impulsive, and maybe scandalous nature. But I also don't think it would be a stretch to say that the guy was driven. After all, how many composers (even with considerable financial resources) would have undertaken the work and expense of meticulously publishing their own compositions. That's some dedication! I guess today we might judge him to be 'on the spectrum'? Whether true or not, I'm happy to consider myself in Gesualdo's strange company of misfits. I should mention that I think about Gesualdo and his music enough that I often call my dog Gesualdo (it's not his name). Unfortunately, he's more a fan of Caccini. ;-)
Vincenzo Galilei with a burn book, and ol' Zarlino rolling his eyes as he admonishes an unprepared fourth. Laughed hard so often during this video: does it go in the education playlist or the humour one??
Elam Rotem + friends: you are so awesome.
Hey there! I'm currently a Masters student in music, and I just wanted to say that I learn a ton from every one of your videos! Incredibly eye-opening and thought provoking. Makes me think about music in a completely different way. Bravo!
The dog head tilt part made me lol, I was literally having the equivalent human reaction to when dogs do that.
Lacorcia is a complete revelation to me, incredible music, it make look Gesualdo´s music completely traditional.
I've been waiting for this episode for ages, really excellent as usual, thank you! Gesualdo's music would really suit a Renaissance-themed Halloween party 😱🎃
Oh my god... this is pure gold!
Thank you so much for sharing these videos
Pure genius. I must listen to more of these wonderful composers.Thank you Mr. Rotem.
What a fantastic video! Thanks for all those other composers you name, most of which I haven't heard of. And big thanks that you also give a short reflection on how Gesulado influences the 20th and 21st centuries!
This channel always inspires me to compose.
Hi Elam, I casually found your channel and I want to thank you for the precise and complete explanations: I am deeply tied to Gesualdo as I started to sing in the Civic Chorus in Milan his Responsoria Sabbati Sancti almost 40 years ago... even if our repertorium arrived up to Strawinsky, we played other early music authors such as Guillame de Machaut, Monteverdi and so on: including Gesualdo, those 3 composers gave the music something new in their own historical periods; your clear examination of Gesualdo composition is making me more aware of the reasons I love his music. I will surely follow since now your channel, thanks a lot for your commitment!
I like Gesualdo's music. I like the way it sounds and moves. I think it's an odd mix of not being expected or unexpected. It is itself and complete. A satisfying listen.
Great work. The qualitiy of the content was never at question, so I just want to add my appreciation for the really high production quality. It equals with expensive TV-shows.
That Lacorcia's piece is hauntingly beautiful!
Yes, that was my favorite from this episode. Unfortunately no sheet music linked.
now there is! www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Ahi,_tu_piangi_(Scipione_Lacorcia)
@@EarlyMusicSources Thanks so much!
Hi Elam! I'm loving going through your programs one by one. I take your point that Gesualdo was neither the inventor of a new harmonic approach nor the only one utilizing it. What I feel makes him unique is the keen and specific way he paints text (pace Galilei). His shorter phrases reflect the quicksilver emotive changes in the poetry, and for that I have high regard for him. Written as a singer, madrigalist, and teacher of Italian music history, albeit with less early music expertise than yourself!
I recently discovered this channel and I'm already a huge fanboy. I'm an enthusiastic amateur singer who fell in love with Renaissance and Early Baroque 30 years ago. Keep up the good work and the nerdiness is wonderful
Ahh, what an amazing joy to find waking up today! I clicked immediately!!
Fascinating as usual; thank you. Gesualdo was touted in a lecture I heard decades ago as one of the early composers who didn’t bother with cadences. I guess that was oversimplification !
the doggo killed me ¡beautiful video, as always!
Thannks Elam! This is amazing!!! As always, deep, professional and full of humorous brush strokes.
Aaah! You chose my favourite madrigal by Gesualdo! :) Thank you for these videos.
I did not particularly know Gesualdo, other than as a name. I thought your presentation was very helpful, and I did really like the music. I will pursue more of his stuff, in the future. Thank you. I 've been a classical music fan for years, but I am only now beginning to find I like a great deal of Baroque and "early" music. For me, it's a big World NOT explored, after hearing lots of popular, and modern stuff. I am sort of shocked that there is so much that you rarely hear, and that it is curious, daring & fresh. I didn't know. it gives me some new late life enthusiasm!
Ah... so glad to see you tackle Gesualdo. Sincerely, compared to some of the other composers who wrote similar music in those times, somehow, Gesualdo seems to have done the better job of it. I don't think he was as insane as often regarded given his colorful past, though... just fortunate, and perhaps a bit misunderstood, particularly from a modern perspective. I also don't think his music was as innovative as people think, but more refined in the use of the techniques available to him.
Agree, I bought into the legend of "OMG advanced chromaticism from a villainous nobleman" and that didn't help in actually listening to the music or putting it in context.
Very pleased to see this video on my feed, I once asked for a Gesualdo video. Thank you!
Such a fascinating channel! Makes me wish I paid more attention in Music History! BRAVO!
You just opened a whole new door in my understanding about music. Wow... and thank you.
And yes, the opening theme, always varied according to the topic of the video, is a most marvelous cherry on top of the cake. A sign of distinction reserved to a labor of love.
Great video as always. I really enjoyed that excerpt by Lacorcia.
I just learned about Gesualdo in history a few weeks ago. I had the closed captioning running once and it heard "Gesualdo" as "Jazz Waldo." So now that's what I call him. I think considering the creepiness of Waldo (just somehow being everything at once) and the chromatic nature of his music, "Jazz Waldo" is actually kind of suitable.
Not only "everything at once", but all over the place! 🤣
Jazz Waldo LOOOOOL
Finally we know who invented Jazz. Waldo from Venosa
Fantastic video! Would you ever consider doing a video about one of Gesualdo's musical rivals, Marc'Antonia Ingegneri? He's one of my absolute favourite early music composers, but I've not been able to find much about his life
I think I just found my new favourite channel ever :)
When I was a young and prodigiously ignorant student, I managed to find a rare book written by a relatively obscure art historian during the Fifties. The book was "L' Antirinascimento", by Eugenio Battisti. It was a very interesting examination of the roots of the Manierismo. And I discovered that the rebellion against the pure and harmonic symmetry typical of every expression of the art of the Rinascimento was as old as the Rinascimento itself. I warmly recommend this beautiful book to everyone interested in deepening their comprehension of that complex and often contradictory phenomenon known as the Italian Rinascimento. By the way, excellent video. Thanks.
Great work people, it is truly a great lecture if you could appreciate! He is one of my personal favorite composer of all times since I've heard about him, roughly 25 years. I will dive deep into the movies that you've credited and also the other resources. Grazie tanto...
Thanks for making this episode Elam, it is truly appreciated!
This was fascinating! I had never heard of Gesualdo before, but the music you played here by him was absolutely amazing.
Thank you for doing this.
Such a treasure, your work is ... 💝💝💝
Love that you styled up the intro tune!
So much fun to watch - thank you!!!
Thank you so much, I really enjoyed this episode as Gesualdo is one of my favorite composers. Also, the animation in really on point!
One of the best UA-cam channels by far - thank you for your wonderful work! Grazie!
As always, here's a fabulous topic in an irresistible video, enormously informative, carefully contextualized, rigorously presented and exquisitely edited. AND gorgeously sung, by both groups. Thank you so much.
Excellent video. I had no idea of the beauty of Gesualdo’s music; at times the harmonies remind me of late Brahms or Vierne.
Amazing music, clear and very interesting ideas beatifully presented! Congratulations and thank you!
Rennaissance spooky scary music is ABSOLUTELY banging. I will try and make a playlist for my personal pleasure and scoring!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!😊
Many thanks! That was a great video and insight into Gesulado's Music!! :)
your videos are a delight! thank you so much!
Gesualdo: “I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet…but your kids are gonna love it!”
Thank you! This was extremely interesting!
Your analyses are very much appreciated. I always enjoy your thorough and entertaining presentations.
Thank you so much for this video I really like this underrated composer 💥❤
Thank you for your wonderful work.
🙏❤️🙏
*Wonderful video. Gesualdo was a genius!*
*Who's Afraid of Carlo Gesualdo?*
*I am, George. I am.*
" Now witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL harpsichord! "
When I was in graduate school in historical musicology and taking a course in modal (16th-century) counterpoint, Professor Green was fond of reminding us that "composers make the rules."
Very strange harmonies, but he got me tearing up so it sure had an emotional impact. Respect!
The video is amazing, thank you!:)
I love the "check out the footnotes on our web page" insert at 23:41.
"1. Bla bla bla bla bla ..." in a fancy font with some random years thrown in. :-)
Another fantastic episode, thank you very much! The performances are just great!
Bel lavoro, bravo! Spiegato bene, in maniera davvero gradevole e divertente! E last but not list, ottima pronuncia in Italiano!...
fantastic episode! thank you!
I find quite similar dissonances already in Monteverdi. And both here and there, when one adjusts their “listening logic” they sound perfectly appropriate.
He aprendido tanto con tus videos, eres un gran maestro, me haces amar mas a la música antigua
Thank you, Elam!
Very good episode -- thank you Elam & C:o!
Beautiful. Amazing
I love Gesualdo's music. Ir seems to me very transparent, translucid, lighty and amorous.
Great film. I would have concentrated on Book 5 if it had been me. Some great bangers in there, whereas Book 6 is a bit over-ripe with less good tunes (and you haven't mentioned the fact that he used repetition in a similar way to Debussy imho). Such a brilliant channel and you are doing incredible work. Thank you.
Reminds me of movie scores from mid 20th century particularly those sci fi films like The Day the Earth Stood Still or Forbidden Planet
Very interesting! Thank you!
THANK YOU for this!
What a coincidence, i had just discovered this composer!!
Great explantion and amazing presentation
18:29 It is plagal cadential IV-I (from A minor to E major) this we call it in Romanian Cadenta modulatorie cromatica (Modulated cromatic Cedence)
Wonderful compositions
I love that you made it coincide with Halloween. Very subtle.
Fantastic, thanks!
An illuminating presentation, thanks indeed.
Marvelous episode!
I've recently been trying out 31-tone equal temperament, but in a more modern manner. In addition to being very close to quarter comma meantone, it also has an extremely good approximation of the seventh harmonic, which makes a lot of septimal intervals available as an expansion of conventional harmony, like for example the harmonic seventh 7:4.
He wrote an amazing amount of music!
I really like the video, it's very helpfull for my investigation work for the university. Thanks!
Perfect for Halloween. I am very frightened!
excellent and beautiful class.
HAH!! That Gesualdified theme song is awesome.
Gesualdo was one of the Favourites composers of stravinsky
Love your channel👏👏
Have just noticed the intro music is now different with a higher pitch on the second part :)
Or, perhaps since I'm using slightly better headphones, but there's a new variation where it goes up and turns down :) I don't remember so it must be new.
Great video as always
I love this channel
Luzzaschi, Arcadelt and Banchieri deserve special videos as well.
My favourite of all time