Vocal Music Of The Renaissance
The premise that vocal music of the Renaissance articulated the text in an influential way is demonstrated and confirmed in O Care, thou wilt despatch me, a madrigal by Thomas Weelkes. The piece begins with the middle voice with the other four soon following, forming an imitation of the first voice. The opening line is the title of the madrigal, a pained, disparaging phrase, and is accentuated through the music with a sequence of suspensions through the five voices. The suspensions continue into the second phrase, "If music do not match thee" soon leaving the gloomy introduction and leading into a series of melodious and light "fa la la's". This section, seemingly a section B, picks up in tempo and rapidly moves to another gloom-filled section, this one having a bit more strength and power driving the line, "so deadly dost thou sting me". The increase in tempo and change in articulation are not in the original score, but the interpretation of the performers. This pattern continues, with the dreary poetic sections broken up by the intermittent "fa la la's" which also ends the madrigal.
Overall, the composer does quite well in presenting the dynamic of the text with the music. The two entities are unified in this piece however; they are also able to stand on their own, and in turn create the same general emotion and sentiment.
View Full Essay