Composer Profile: Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613)

Composer Profile: Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), Madrigalist and Murderer

 By Barry Lenson

Many well-regarded composers did much more than just write music. Alexander Borodin (1833-1877) was also a physician and a scientist. Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), was both a wonderful composer and a master swordsman. And then we come to Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (1566-1613), who was a remarkable composer and a murderer.

That is right, Gesualdo murdered both his wife and her lover in 1590. According to legend, he stabbed them to death after discovering them together in bed. Then he went right back to writing some of the most extraordinary madrigals of his age.

You can listen to a superb recording of his last two books of madrigals – the most astonishing and forward-looking of all his works – here on Classical Archives. But before you listen to these performances by Marco Longhini conducting Delitiae Musicae, here is the story of Gesualdo’s remarkable life.

The Life of Gesualdo

Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa was an Italian composer, lutenist, and nobleman. He hailed from the noble Gesualdo family, which had acquired the principality of Venosa in Southern Italy in 1560 by a Papal bull. Born in Venosa, Carlo displayed an early passion for music, devoting himself to the lute, harpsichord, and guitar.

After the death of his older brother Luigi in 1584, Gesualdo became Prince of Venosa. Abandoning any ecclesiastical or political aspirations, he focused on music and composition. His compositions include madrigals, motets, and sacred works. His most famous collections, Book Five and Six of his madrigals, published together in 1611, display his unique harmonic language.

In 1586, Gesualdo married his first cousin, Donna Maria d’Avalos, and they had a son. However, Carlo’s life took a dark turn when he discovered his wife’s affair with a duke. Consumed by jealousy, Gesualdo murdered both his wife and her lover in 1590. This shocking act earned him notoriety, but apparently no legal consequences. Gesualdo’s mother was the niece of Pope Pius IV, which might have helped protect him from any consequences after he committed those double murders.

Why Should We Listen to Gesualdo’s Music?

Given the fact that Gesualdo was a murderer and probably a horrible human being, why should we listen to his music at all? It is because his compositions exhibit a chromatic language that wouldn’t be heard again until the late 19th century. While many listeners hear similarities between his music and Beethoven’s late compositions or even the heightened chromaticism of Wagner, to me it foreshadows Schubert’s nonstructural use of harmony to add color. And then there is the fact that Gesualdo’s madrigals are characterized by a unique and dark emotional intensity.

Comparing Gesualdo to Claudio Monteverdi

If I had a half hour to live and I had to pick between listening to music written by Gesualdo or Monteverdi, I would surely listen to Monteverdi, who was undoubtedly the greater composer of the two. But if I had an hour to live, I would listen to music written by both men.

They were almost direct contemporaries. Claudio Monteverdi was born first. He was baptized on May 15, 1567, in Cremona. Gesualdo was probably born on March 30, 1566. So Monteverdi’s birth predates Gesualdo by a few months.

In the history of music, Monteverdi was far more important. His monumental compositions, including his astonishing choral Vespers of 1610, stand among the greatest musical compositions ever written. While Gesualdo’s music feels dark and sinister, Monteverdi’s shines with the bright light of humanism. And then there is the fact that Monteverdi, along with his Florentine contemporaries Jacopo Peri (composer, 1561-1633) and Ottavio Rinuccini (librettist, 1562-1621) invented opera. Gesualdo didn’t compose operas.

Monteverdi was a major transitional figure between the Renaissance and Baroque periods who composed both secular and sacred works, including madrigals, choral works, and operas. In contrast, Gesualdo excelled in shorter forms, especially madrigals. Gesualdo’s music is characterized by its chromaticism and extreme harmonic practices. His compositions feature intense dissonances and explore dark emotional depths.

Monteverdi loved dissonance too, but employed it more sparingly, often to add coloristic flourishes to the text being sung. Another difference is that of the two composers, Monteverdi was the greater master of counterpoint.

In Summary . . .

Monteverdi’s music bridges the Renaissance and Baroque eras, while Gesualdo’s chromatic style and emotional depth set him apart as a composer who defied all conventions. Both composers left lasting legacies, and their distinct approaches continue to captivate audiences today.

Listen to Gesualdo’s Madrigals Book Five and Book Six on Classical Archives

We are pleased to offer you a chance to listen to a superb Naxos recording of his last two books of madrigals – the most astonishing and forward-looking of all his works – here on Classical Archives. To listen, you must be a member of Classical Archives. If you are not yet a member, we invite you to join now. Free 14-day trial memberships are now available.