K094 Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa

K94 Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa

ad CD annum. Three madrigals recomposed for instruments — Monumentum für Gesualdo di Venosa zu[seine]m vierhundertsten Jahrestag. Drei für Instrumente eingerichtete [rekomponierte] Madrigale – Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa. Tre madrigali ricomposti per istrumenti, per il quarto centenario della sua nascita

Scored for*: a) First edition: 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns in F, 2 Trumpets in C, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, Violins I, II, Violas, Violoncellos; b) Performance requirements: 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns in F, 2 Trumpets in C, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, 2 Solo Violins, 3 Solo Violas, 4 Solo Violoncellos, Strings** (First Violins, Second Violins, Violas, Violoncellos [***]).

* The list of instruments states all the instruments required; the pieces themselves have individual orchestrations, even up to the last section of the 3rd madrigal.

** Not divided.

*** Without Double basses.

Score: The layout is a modern block score which only contains instruments that are being used at the time.

Summary: I ( Asciugate i begli occhi): The female lover must not cry when he goes from her, as it is he himself whom pain will kill when he leaves her. – II ( Ma tu, cagion di quella atroce pena): it is the horror of the female lover which does not allow the spurned man to feel Death when it passes by him. – III ( Beltà poi che t’assenti): the beautiful lady who is leaving him may also take with her his suffering along with his heart, as his heartless soul can feel no pain.

Source: The originals are three five-part madrigals written by Don Carlo Gesualdo Fürst of Venosa (1560-1613). The Madrigal Asciugate i begli occhi (complete edition volume V, No. XIV, p.57-59), Ma tu, cagion di quella atroce pena (volume V, No.XVIII, p.69-71) and Beltà poi che t’assenti (volume VI, No. II, p. 16-18) where first published in Genoa in 1611. When Gesualdo died, he was so well known as a madrigalist that in the year of his death, all six books of his madrigals were published in score form with bar lines, one of the earliest score publications of this type. The process of selecting madrigals for an instrumental version and narrowing them down to three did not take place from a textual standpoint. In connection with the purpose that Strawinsky had of creating an additional piece of music to première alongside Canticum Sacrum, their love-song lyrics posed certain problems. Strawinsky wanted to orchestrate Gesualdo’s music and was looking for Gesualdo vocal pieces that appealed to him by their instrumental suitability. Strawinsky came across three madrigal compositions for which he could at least conceive of an instrumental form (‘I could at least conceive of an instrumental form’). The manner in which Strawinsky expressed himself suggests that he was also not completely convinced by these three pieces as the instrumental bases for his purposes. Madrigals with fast groups of semiquavers were not even considered. After the elimination process, three remained for which he now had to select an instrumental register and define them compositionally. The flow of the sung lines throughout had to be adapted to the orchestral characteristics of working with displaced blocks of sound. Strawinsky therefore had to struggle with the wide-reaching differences between vocal and instrumental sound colour. These vocal compositions, as Strawinsky wrote in his programme notes, could not simply be transcribed instrumentally but had to be completely reconceived. Especial difficulties presented themselves to Strawinsky with respect to the rhythmic figuration. Gesualdo was a harmonic composer and his colouristic chromatic technique was far ahead of his time and still inspired wonder throughout the 20th Century. A simple transcription staying true to the notes, Strawinsky feared, would run the danger of making the music appear too plump and too even.

Construction: Monumentum is made up of three new madrigal recompositions after Gesualdo with only Roman numerals, but with different instrumental forces (I: 42 bars [2 Oboes, 2 bassoons, 4 Horns in F, 2 Solo violins, 3 solo violas, solo ‘cello , strings]; II: 37 bars [2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets in C, 2 tenor trombones, bass trombone]; III: 62 bars [2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 2 tenor trombones, 4 solo ‘celli, strings]).

Structure

Minim = 72

(37 bars = bar 1-37)

Poco meno mosso Minim = 66

(5 bars = bar 38-42)

[Scored for: 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns in F, 2 Solo Violins, 3 Solo Violas, Solo Violoncello, Strings]

* "Asciugate i begli occhi"-Madrigale XIV, Libro quinto.

II*

Minim = 98

poco rubato (rit.)

(35 bars = bar 1-35)

Poco meno mosso

(2 bars = bar 36-37)

[Scored for: 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 2 Trumpets in C, 2 Tenor Trombones. Bass Trombone]

* "Ma tu, cagion di quella"-Madrigale XVIII, Libro quinto.

III*

Minim = 54

(62 bars = bar 1-31 + repeat bar 1-30 + 1 bar last-time bar)

[Scored for: 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns in F, 2 Trumpets in C, 2 Tenor Trombones, 4 Solo Violoncellos, Strings]

* "Beltà poi che t'assenti"-Madrigale II, Libro sesto.

Comparisons*

Three-part form A-B-C with a repetition of C slow-fast-slow with Gesualdo, A-B-C without a repetition of C, but with the C sections truncated into one another into one extended C-section slow-fast-slow with Strawinsky. First part 9 4/2 bars in Gesualdo’s version, 9 bars (8+1) with alternating 4/2 and 3/2 bars in Strawinsky’s version; for both, bars 1-3 are homophonic, and 4-9 are polyphonic. Second section 8 polyphonic 4/2 bars (10-17) in three sections with structural divisions in Gesualdo’s version A-A1-B = 3+3+2 bars in small note values quavers and crotchets, 13 polyphonic bars (10-22) in alternating 4/2 and 3/2 bars in Strawinsky’s version A-B-A = 6+3+4 bars with constantly repeating compression and motific manipulation of Gesualdo’s original. Third section 17 bars (18-22 homophonic, 22-23 polyphonic, 24 homophonic declamation, 25-34 polyphonic) in Gesualdo’s version, 20 bars (23-26 homophonic rhythm, 26-27 polyphonic, 28-29 homophonic, 30-42 polyphonic) in Strawinsky’s version.

Structurally a madrigal sequence without direct division of the individual sections, with which Strawinsky follows the original closely. The difference of 3 bars from the original from Strawinsky’s version arises from the halving of the first of Gesualdo’s bars and a repeated passage 22-23 = 24-25.

III

Seven-part structural division which follows the original so exactly that the Italian text can be written out underneath it. This is also true for the alternation of homophonic and polyphonic textures and for the order and number of part entries. The different numbers of bars between Strawinsky and Gesualdo are the result of the use of different types of bars; Gesualdo uses 4/4 bars throughout while Strawinsky alternates between 4/2 and 4/3 bars, which means that duration of the work is not shortened, but that the number of bars is only half as large.

1st section

(Stravinsky bars 1-4, Gesualdo 1-4): homophonic texture, music identical between Strawinsky and Gesualdo, section of text ‘ Beltà poi ... porti il cor’.

2nd section

(Stravinsky bars 5-9, Gesualdo 5-9): polyphonic texture, imitation, every 2x2 development of the part entries, entries for Strawinsky’s version 1x5 + 1x3, Gesualdo 2x5, section of text ‘ porta i tormenti’.

3rd section

(Stravinsky bars 10-13, Gesualdo 10-13): polyphonic texture, strong use of imitative technique to develope each of the part entries, entries for the Strawinsky and Gesualdo versions 1x4, section of text ‘ che tormentato cor’.

4th section

(Stravinsky bars 14-15, Gesualdo 14-15): homophonic texture, repetition close to the original, freely playing horns, section of text ‘ può ben sentire’.

5th section

(Stravinsky bars 16-20, Gesualdo 16-20): polyphonic texture, strong use of imitation techniques, two-part theme (a,b) with different development, entries in Strawinsky’s version 1 x a + 6 x b, for Gesualdo 8 x a + 5 x b, section of text ‘ la doglia del (a) morire (b)’.

6th section

(Stravinsky bars 21-22, Gesualdo 21-23), homophonic texture; section of text (central accusation) ‘E un alma senza core’; for the 16th-century repetition of the Coppia, which was typical for madrigals and which last until the final section.

7th section

(Stravinsky bars 23-31/32, Gesualdo 24-36): polyphonic texture, final build-up through the use of an instrumental tutti, which is used only at this point, very dense stretto of the part entries, entries in Strawinsky’s version are made unclear, and in Gesualdo 14 x a + 13 x b; section of text (consequence and resignation) ‘ Non può (a) sentir dolore (b)’; repetition of the Coppia from the previous section, typical for a madrigal, which Strawinsky follows with a distinct final coda.

* Using an analysis (unpublished) by Sabrina Martin.

Style: The orchestration of the madrigals was partly linked with a strong change in terms of instrumental techniques. Entire sections were recomposed so that in the end, Strawinsky stood independently using Gesualdo’s compositional material. At certain moments, it cannot even be referred to as an arrangement. Strawinsky mentioned some of the compositional problems which were posed. The orchestral instruments should not be handled as voice parts, rather as transferable. The second problem was in the differentiation between vocal and instrumental colours, which meant that the works were not rewritten but had to be reimagined. Especially difficult in Strawinsky’s eyes was the transfer of the rhythm, as, with the harmonic composer Gesualdo, there were no models. Gesualdo’s original of the first madrigal became strongly displaced inside itself. In the second madrigal, bars are only displaced in the middle section, while the third madrigal is identical to the original with the exception of a two-bar repeated phrase. The characterization is achieved through the changing of instrumental registers. They were chosen by Strawinsky so that the tessitura remains restricted to the middle register and so corresponds to the range of the voices. The differentiation of the three pieces is achieved instrumentally through increasing and changing instrumentation with a final tutti. – Oboes and bassoons combine in the first piece with the separate groups of horns and strings. The ensemble is divided into two separate instrumental groups. The first group is made up of the horns, and the other is dominated by the strings. The woodwind oboes and bassoons alternate between the two groups. – In the second piece, Strawinsky does not use horns and strings, and, instead of the woodwind, the trumpets and trombones accompany. All the instruments are used with the same weighting, and there are no instrumental groups that form blocks. The sections are not clearly demarcated. Apart from three small homophonic sections, the piece is constructed polyphonically without imitative techniques. Strawinsky’s version is so close to the original that it must be referred to an arrangement rather than a reworking in this case. – The third piece unites all the instrumental groups, but alternates the combinations sectionally. There is at no point a real tutti using all the woodwind, brass and strings. As in the first piece, the combined horns and strings are divided into instrumental groups at the beginning and the end, where the horns take on the harmonizing chords in the form of mediant harmonic changes.

Dedication: The dedication is part of the main title.

Duration: 7' (2' 26", 1' 53", 2' 41").

Date of origin: Hollywood up to March 1960.

First performance: On 27th September 1960 in Venice with the Orchestra del Teatro la Fenice under the direction of Igor Strawinsky.

Remarks: The specific details about the history of the composition are not noted. It can be seen from the published correspondence that Strawinsky had not received the first corrections by 12 ^thJune 1960 and the second set could not be carried out before he had received the first set. On 17 ^thJune, he confirmed their entry and incorporation. Regarding the printing of the Venosa edition, Strawinsky demanded in a letter to Ernst Roth of 17 ^thJune 1960 that the English edition use a ‘v’ in his name instead of the ‘w’ which only made sense in Germany. He additionally noted that his works would be published in an English publishing house and should therefore cater for the English way of speaking, whereas the ‘w’ was for the German manner of speaking. It had been introduced by the Russian publishers (which is clearly not correct) who were essentially German. The way of writing using the ‘w’ goes back to the simple fact that the German ‘w’ was the standard replacement for the Russian ‘B’, and it was not introduced by the Russian publishers; it can in fact be seen in the first Strawinsky Editions by the Moscow-based Jurgenson and Belaiev publishing houses before the First World War, when the Russian music publishers did not even exist. The editions printed by Henn publishers in French Switzerland, the single edition printed by the French Sirène publishers and even the early editions by the English Chester publishers were printed with the ‘w’. The manner of writing with ‘v’ [or w] was made problematic after the Second World War with the American influence on Europe. Since Strawinsky used the ‘w’ spelling up to the time of Stein’s death in his letters, it had to be checked as to what Strawinsky in fact meant by this decision, that he would make for the final eleven years of his life and the final five years of his creative life a change from the ‘w’ spelling that had been usual up to that point, especially in the Anglo-American arena. Furthermore, as Strawinsky was basically fairly ambivalent about the spelling of his name, political interests which were assigned to him cannot be ruled out, but are rather probable.

Productions: George Balanchine choreographed the edition under the title >Monumentum pro Gesualdo< as the first part of his successful combination production alongside Movements. The first performance took place on 16th November 1960 in the New York City Center of Music and Drama with the New York City Ballet, consisting of 6 female and 6 male dancers in pair formation and two soloists, Diana Adams and Conrad Ludlow. The ballet was produced without a plot and played without decoration; it also harked back to the dance geometry introduced in Agon, which Balanchine transferred over as diagonals which constantly reinvent themselves like a kaleidoscope on the solemn pacing art of the 17th Century. The ballet climaxed in a mixture of jumping and throwing the female soloist’s arabesque. Balanchine created a dark atmosphere over the dances, in order in this way to bring expression to the self-overshadowing atmosphere of the life of the Neapolitan prince and the dance ceremony of his court as an integral part of it.

Versions: The Monumentum was published in 1960 as a conducting and pocket score by Bossey & Hawkes in London. The parts were available to hire. A piano reduction was not produced. The publishing contract with Boosey & Hawkes was signed on 2nd May 1960.

Historical Recording: Hollywood 9. June 1960 with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Igor Strawinsky.

CD edition: X-2/7-9.

Autograph: The autograph score is located in the Library of Congress in Washington.

Copyright: 1960 by Boosey & Son, London.

Editions

a) Overview

94-1 1960 FuSc; Boosey & Hawkes London; 15 pp.; B. H. 18748.

94-1⁶² 1962 ibd.

94-2 1960 PoSc; Boosey & Hawkes London; 15 pp.; B. H. 18748; 725.

94-2⁶¹1960 ibd.

b) Characteristic features

94-1 1560-1960° / MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad / CD Annum°° / Three Madrigals / recomposed for instruments°/ by° / Igor Stravinsky / Boosey & Hawkes° // MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad CD annum°° / Three Madrigals/ recomposed for instruments by°°°/ IGOR STRAVINSKY / Full Score/ Boosey & Hawkes / Sole Selling Agents:Boosey & Hawkes, Ltd / London · Paris · Bonn · Capetown · Sydney · Toronto · Buenos Aires · New York// (Full score [library binding] 23.4 x 31.1 (4° [4°]); 15 [15] pages + 4 cover pages thicker paper black on cream-coloured [front cover title page with a monumental tomb occupying the entire page, 3 empty pages] + 2 pages front matter [title page, legend >Nomenclature / of the instruments< Italian + duration [6’ 54“] English] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad / CD Annum / Three Madrigals<; authors specified 1st page of the score without pagination [p. 1] above and next to piece number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I*< with asterisk flush right >Recomposed for instruments by / IGOR STRAVINSKY<; legal reservations 1st page of the score below type area flush left >© 1960 by Hawkes & Son (London), Ltd.< flush right >All rights reserved<; plate number >B. H. 18748<; production indication 1st page of the score below type area centre inside right >Printed in England<; end number p. 15 flush left >8. 60. E.<; end of the score dated p. 15 next to the last bar oblong >Hollywood, March 1960<; duration as end mark >duration - 2' 40“) // (1960)

° Black.

°° Different spelling original.

°°° Different line break original.

94-1⁶² 1560-1960° / MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad / CD Annum°° / Three Madrigals / recomposed for instruments°/ by° / Igor Stravinsky / Boosey & Hawkes° // MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad CD annum°° / Three Madrigals/ recomposed for instruments by°°°/ IGOR STRAVINSKY / Full Score/ Boosey & Hawkes / Music Publishers Ltd. / London, New York, Paris, Bonn, Johannesburg, Sydney, Toronto // (Full score sewn in red 23.4 x 31.1 (4°); 15 [15] pages + 4 cover pages thicker paper black on cream-coloured [front cover title front cover title page with a monumental tomb occupying the entire page, 3 empty pages] + 2 pages front matter [title page, legend >Nomenclature / of the instruments< Italian + duration [6’ 54“] English] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad / CD Annum / Three Madrigals<; authors specified 1st page of the score without pagination [S. 1] above and next to piece number in Roman numeral (without dot) >I*< with Asterisk flush right >Recomposed for instruments by / IGOR STRAVINSKY<; legal reservations 1st page of the score below type area flush left >© 1960 by Hawkes & Son (London), Ltd.< flush right >All rights reserved<; plate number >B. H. 18748<; production indication 1st page of the score below type area centre inside right > Printed in England<; end number p. 15 flush left >4. 62. E.<; end of the score dated p. 15 next to the last bar oblong >Hollywood, March 1960<; duration as end mark >duration - 2' 40“) // (1962)

° Black.

°° Different spelling original.

°°° Different line break original.

94-2 HAWKES POCKET SCORES / ^IGOR STRAVINSKY / MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / BOOSEY & HAWKES / No. 725 // HAWKES POCKET SCORES / IGOR STRAVINSKY / MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad CD annum / Three Madrigals / recomposed for instruments / BOOSEY & HAWKES / LTD. / LONDON · PARIS · BONN · CAPETOWN · SYDNEY · TORONTO · BUENOS AIRES · NEW YORK / NET PRICE / MADE IN ENGLAND // (Pocket score stapled 13.7 x 18.7 [8° [8°]]; 15 [15] pages + 4 cover pages dark green auf grey beige [front cover title with frame 9.6 x 3.9 grey beige auf dark green, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s advertisings >Hawkes Pocket Scores / A further selection of outstanding modern works / from this famous library of classical and contemporary Pocket Scores<* production data >No. 787< [#] >1.56<] + 2 pages front matter [title page, legend >Nomenclature / of the instruments> Italian + duration [6'54“]** English] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad / CD Annum / Three Madrigals<; authors specified 1st page of the score without pagination [p. 1] above and next to piece number*** flush right zentriert >Recomposed for instruments by / IGOR STRAVINSKY<; legal reservations 1st page of the score below type area flush left >© 1960 by Hawkes & Son (London), Ltd.< flush right >All rights reserved<; plate number >B. & H. 18748<; date of completion p. 15 next to last bar oblong >Hollywood, March 1960<; end number p. 15 flush left >8 · 60 L & B<; production indications 1st page of the score below type area centre inside right >Printed in England< p. 15 flush right as end mark >Lowe and Brydone (Printers) Limited, London<] // (1960)

* Compositions are advertised in two columns with edition numbers from >Béla Bartók< to >Jaromir Weinberger<, amongst these >Igor Strawinsky / 626 Concerto in D for String Orchestra (1946) / 631 Four Studies for Orchestra / 633 Le Chant du Rossignol Symphonic Poem / 634 Three Pieces for String Quartet / 665 Divertimento<. After London the following places of printing are listed: Paris-Bonn-Capetown-Sydney-Toronto-Buenos Aires-New York.

** Single durations below type area flush right p. 6 [2’ 24“], p. 10 [1’ 50“], p. 15 [2’ 40“].

*** The pieces are numbered in Roman numerals (without dots) and bears an asterisk which informed (below type area) about source and title of the song ([p.1] >I*< >*“Asciugate i begli occhi”– Madrigale XIV, Libro quinto<, p. 7 >II*< >*“Ma tu, cagion di quella”- Madrigale XVIII, Liber quinto<, p. 11 >III*< >*“Belta poi che t’assenti”– Madrigale II, Libro sesto<).

94-2⁶¹ HAWKES POCKET SCORES / ^IGOR STRAVINSKY / MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / BOOSEY & HAWKES / No. 725 // HAWKES POCKET SCORES / IGOR STRAVINSKY / MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad CD annum / Three Madrigals / recomposed for instruments/ BOOSEY & HAWKES / LTD. / LONDON · PARIS · BONN · JOHANNESBURG · SYDNEY · TORONTO · BUENOS AIRES · NEW YORK / NET PRICE / MADE IN ENGLAND // (Pocket score stapled 13.6 x 18.7 [8° [8°] ]; 15 [15] pages + 4 pages cover pages olive green on grey beige [Front cover title with frame 9.6 x 3.9 grey beige on olive green, 2 empty pages, page with publisher’s advertisings > Hawkes Pocket Scores/ A further selection of outstanding modern works / from this famous library of classical and contemporary Pocket Scores<* production data >No. 787< [#] >1.56<] + 2 pages front matter [title page, legend >Nomenclature / of the instruments< Italian + duration [6'54“]** English] + 1 page back matter [empty page]; title head >MONUMENTUM / pro / Gesualdo di Venosa / ad / CD Annum / Three Madrigals<; authors specified 1st page of the score without pagination [p. 1] above and next to piece number*** flush right centered >Recomposed for instruments by / IGOR STRAVINSKY<; legal reservations 1st page of the score below type area flush left >© 1960 by Hawkes & Son (London), Ltd.< flush right >All rights reserved<; plate number >B. & H. 18748<; date of completion p. 15 next to the last bar oblong >Hollywood, March 1960<; end number p. 15 flush left >12 · 61 L & B<; production indications 1st page of the score below type area centre inside right >Printed in England< p. 15 flush right as end mark >Lowe and Brydone (Printers) Limited, London<] // (1961)

** Single durations below type area flush right p. 6 [2’ 24“], p. 10 [1’ 50“], p. 15 [2’ 40“].

K Catalog: Annotated Catalog of Works and Work Editions of Igor Strawinsky till 1971, revised version 2014 and ongoing, by Helmut Kirchmeyer.
© Helmut Kirchmeyer. All rights reserved.
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