| Abstract |
This dissertation, as its title delineates, is limited to a study of the five-part madrigals of Luzzasco Luzzaschi. The madrigal represents the chief type of composition in which the composer busied himself, and thus this self-imposed limitation has the advantage of allowing the writer to probe more deeply into its structure and content. These madrigals are for the most part contained in his seven madrigal books published between the years 1571 and 1604. Single madrigals were published in various collections and anthologies, many of which are included among his seven madrigal books. A posthumous collection entitled Seconda Scelta delli madrigali a cinque voci dello Zascho Luzzaschi (1613) reprints works from his last four numbered madrigal volumes, that is from the Fourth through the Seventh book, and is most valuable in that it furnishes us with our only known complete source for any of the madrigals from the Sixth and Seventh books, from which only one or two part-books are extant. All of the sources containing madrigals of Luzzaschi known to this writer are listed in Appendix I where the reader will also find descriptions of the various editions together with other bibliographical information. The seven libri account for a total of 180 five-part madrigals excluding a six-part setting from the Seventh book. (Madrigals with seconda parte are here considered as two works.) The Seconda scelta contains two madrigals not printed elsewhere, and the various madrigal anthologies and collections from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries add at least four more in addition to two other madrigals for six voices and a canzonet for four. Thus there exist at least 186 five-part madrigals by Luzzaschi. Though this number is indeed small when compared with the other 1,100 compositions in the same genre by Monte, it yet compares favorably, numerically speaking, with the 120 works contained in Monteverdi's first six books of madrigals for five voices (some of which are even scored for a larger group) and surely constitutes a significant corpus of music which should not be ignored. The intent of this dissertation, then, is a technical analysis and careful examination of these madrigals in order to arrive at some conclusions concerning their stylistic organization. This analysis will follow a chronological order beginning with Luzzaschi's Primo libro, and besides being concerned with matters of harmony, part-writing, text setting, form, etc. will attempt to show signs of artistic growth and maturity on the part of the composer as revealed in each succeeding volume. In addition, a comparison of Luzzaschi's madrigals with those of his contemporaries is desirable in order to evaluate better their content and thus lead to a more careful and accurate appraisal of Luzzaschi's contribution to and significance in the musical literature of the Italian madrigal. Luzzaschi was a highly respected musician during his time, both as composer and performer, and laudatory mention of him by his contemporaries is frequently to be found. This writer has assembled most of this material from its original sources, much of which has thus far been ignored by musical scholars. The fact that Luzzaschi was so esteemed should in itself make us curious concerning his music. Finally, this writer has tried to correct the many misstatements, often repeated by successive writers, regarding Luzzaschi. By so doing, he hopes to have contributed to a better understanding of the composer and his art. |
