At long last I have nearly finished the 7th book. This book
has posed some issues as it is such complex music it is almost
impossible to cut it down to 5 parts while maintaining its integrity. As
a result, some songs will be in 6 or more parts.
Parlo miser o taccio is a trio for two sopranos and bass. I have set
this for trumpets/cornets and euphonium/trombone, leaving the
accompaniment in the hands of the horns and tubas, but with an extra
high Bb part.
The title translates as "Should I, poor wretch, speak out or hold my
tongue? Yet again our young man is in a romantic (lustful) state, and
the words of the lyrics carry many double entendres in rspect of what he
and his lady are getting up to! The strong dissonances followed by long
drawn out resolutions and suspensions were a common device in this type
of song to indicate how "matters were progressing". At 6 and a half
minutes, this is quite a long song, compared to the 2 or 3 minutes of
most of the book.
The seventh book is quite a change from the earlier ones. Monteverdi
seems to be concentrating on developing solos and duets, trios and small
accompanied ensembles. The accompaniments are often written out with
more than just long note chords. The intricate instrumental parts are
more than just filling in the harmony (hence the difficulty in paring
them down.)
Once again, these songs are exquisitely crafted and travel well onto brass.
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