The evidence that Gesualdo was tortured by guilt for the remainder of his life is considerable, and he may have given expression to it in his music. One of the most obvious characteristics of his music is the extravagant text setting of words representing extremes of emotion: "love", "pain", "death", "ecstasy", "agony" and other similar words occur frequently in his madrigal texts, most of which he probably wrote himself. While this type of word-painting is common among madrigalists of the late 16th century, it reached an extreme development in Gesualdo's music.
While he was infamous for his murders, he also remains famous for his music, which is among the most experimental and expressive of the Renaissance, and without question is the most wildly chromatic; progressions such as those written by Gesualdo did not appear again in music until the 19th century, and then in a context of tonality that prevents them from being directly comparable.
Gesualdo's published music falls into three categories: sacred vocal music, secular vocal music, and instrumental music. His most famous compositions are his six published books of madrigals (between 1594 and 1611), as well as his Tenebrae Responsories, which are very much like madrigals, except that they use texts from the Passion. In addition to the works which he published, he left a large quantity of music in manuscript; this contains some of his richest experiments in chromaticism, as well as compositions in such contemporary avant-garde forms as monody. Some of these were products of the years he spent in Ferrara, and some were specifically written for the virtuoso singers there, the three women of the concerto di donne.
The first books of madrigals that Gesualdo published are close in style to the work of other contemporary madrigalists. Experiments with harmonic progression, cross-relation and violent rhythmic contrast increase in the later books, with Books Five and Six containing the most famous and extreme examples (for instance, the madrigals Moro, lasso, al mio duolo and Beltà, poi che t'assenti, both of which are in Book Six, published in 1611). There is evidence that Gesualdo had these works in score form, in order to better display his contrapuntal inventions to other musicians, and also that Gesualdo intended his works to be sung by equal voices, as opposed to the concerted madrigal style popular in the period, which involved doubling and replacing voices with instruments.
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. The text is closely wedded to the music, with individual words being given maximum attention.
Some of the chromatic passages include all twelve notes of the chromatic scale within a single phrase, although scattered throughout different voices. Gesualdo was particularly fond of chromatic third relations, for instance juxtaposing the chords of A major and F major, or even A minor and D-flat major (as he does at the beginning of Moro, lasso).
His most famous sacred composition is the set of Tenebrae Responsories, published in 1611, which are stylistically madrigali spirituali — madrigals on sacred texts. As in the later books of madrigals, he uses particularly sharp dissonance and shocking chromatic juxtapositions, especially in the parts highlighting text passages having to do with Christ's suffering, or the guilt of St. Peter in having betrayed Jesus.
Resta di darmi noia
Carlo Gesualdo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pensier crudo e fallace,
Ch'esser non può già mai quel che a te piance!
Morta è per me la gioia,
Onde sperar non lice
D'esser mai più felice.
The lyrics of Carlo Gesualdo's song Resta di darmi noia are a solemn reflection on the dismal state of the singer's emotional existence. The opening line, Resta di darmi noia, can be interpreted as an emotional plea for a reprieve from the hardships of life. The singer describes his thoughts as being crude and deceptive, unable to ever deliver what he desires. The phrase 'ch'esser non può già mai quel che a te piance' implies a sense of helplessness, in which the singer is unable to achieve the happiness he desires, despite his best efforts.
As the song continues, the tone grows progressively darker. The singer acknowledges the death of any joy he once had, leaving him unable to hope for happiness ever again. The phrase 'Onde sperar non lice D'esser mai più felice' suggests a sense of finality, indicating that the singer has given up hope of ever experiencing joy again.
Overall, the lyrics of Resta di darmi noia are a stark reminder of the depths of despair that human emotion can reach, and the futility of trying to overcome it.
Line by Line Meaning
Resta di darmi noia,
Please continue to annoy me,
Pensier crudo e fallace,
With your cruel and dishonest thoughts,
Ch'esser non può già mai quel che a te piance!
Which can never make you happy.
Morta è per me la gioia,
My happiness has died,
Onde sperar non lice
So there is no hope for me
D'esser mai più felice.
To ever be happy again.
Contributed by Evelyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ernesto Gasulla
It only took some 350 years for other composers to use somewhat similar chord progressions... amazing.
Joni Lähdesmäki
Gesualdos polyphonies are quite otherworldly. (not sure if I'm using this word correctly, I mean the way he uses so many voices of different registers and the bittersweet harmonies that result)
Ernesto Gasulla
I understand what you mean and agree.
Michael Tierra
Beautifully performed and a wonderful piece.
Carlo Daviddi
È un tuffo in una dimensione arcana.