Description
Carlo Gesualdo was both a vicious murderer and brilliant composer—the two going hand in hand. Take a minute to get the scoop!
Fun Fact
There have been no fewer than eleven operatic works on the subject of Gesualdo’s life, with Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) premiering his Gesualdo in 1993.
About Steven
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.
A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.
Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: TCMMPodcast@Gmail.com
Support the show
Hi I'm Steven Hobé,
Carlo Gesualdo was a 16th century Prince and composer.
His forte was madrigals which are quite dark at times, almost anguished, with extreme chromaticism, a trait not heard again until the late 19th century.
Gesualdo was an interesting character.
Several years into his marriage, his wife had an affair with a Duke.
Gesualdo caught the two of them in bed together, and killed them on the spot.
The scene was gruesome, both corpses pierced with multiple-stab and slash wounds, including several gunshot wounds to the head and body.
And although it was obvious Gesualdo committed the crime, due to his Princeliness he wasn’t prosecuted. Wow!
Over the years, there has been a fascination with both his life and music inspiring poets, playwrights and composers, including Stravinsky who was a huge Gesualdo fan.
I definitely think his music was way ahead of its time.