Se da sì nobil mano (prima parte) / Amor, pace non chero (seconda parte)

Gesualdo’s “Libro primo di Madrigali a cinque voci” was first published in 1594 in part books by Baldini in Ferrara. (However, we know that a “private” printing had existed previously, but no trace of it has survived). The present edition is based on the Ferrara first printing but also draws on all surviving later sources – as well as those of the texts – for comparison.

Gesualdo’s original harmonic solutions and virtuoso contrapuntal textures never prove to be an end in themselves but are always committed to the expressive musical realization of the verses and their diverse nuances; they thus represent a profound exploration of the content and structure of the poetic texts.

The madrigal has been taken from the volume “Madrigali a cinque voci. Libro primo” (BA10381-01), published as part of the New Gesualdo Edition.