Morir non può il mio cuore
Maddalena Casulana (c. 1544 – c. 1590)
edited by Liza Calisesi Maidens
HistoricalandPerformanceNotes
Whatcomposerscometomindwhenthinkingabout16th-centuryItalianmadrigals?Marenzio… Gesualdo…Monteverdi?Let’saddMaddalenaCasulana(c.1544–c.1590)tothelist.BorninSiena, educatedinFlorence,acomposerinVenice,sheholdsthetitleofthefirstwomantopublishherown musicalcompositions.However,muchofhermusichasremainedunderperformed,mostlikelydueto persistentpatternsinclassicalmusicthathavekeptwomenandotherhistoricallyexcludedpeopleinthe shadowsofthechoralcanon.
Casulanapublishedfivebooksofmadrigalsanddedicatedherfirstbookofmadrigalstoherpatron, IsabelladeMedici,notingthatshewanted“to show the world the futile error of men who believe themselves patrons of the high gifts of intellect, which according to them cannot also be held in the same way by women.”
MaddalenaCasulana’sworkisbecomingmorewidelyavailableand Morir non può il mio cuore isjust oneexample.ItfeaturesattractiveRenaissancemodesofexpressionwithitsstrikingtextpaintingand interchangeofhomophonyandaccessibleimitativepolyphony.ItisawonderfuladditiontoanSATB choralprogram,agatewayintoteachingItalianmadrigals,andanopportunitytopositionthis trailblazingcomposerclosertowardsthecenterofourchoralcanon.Thisperformanceeditionincludes articulationanddynamicmarkings,aswellasthetextandtranslation.Formoreinformationvisit lizacm.com.
TextandTranslation
Morir non può il mio cuore from Il Desiderio, Primo libro (1566)
Morirnonpuò'lmiocuore
Eucciderlovorreipoichevipiace
Matrarnonsipuòfuore
Dalpettovostr'ovegrantempogiace, Educcidendol'iocomedesio, Sochemorrestevoimorend'anch'io.
Myheartcannotdie
AndIwouldliketokillit,sincethatwouldpleaseyou butitcan’tberippedfromyourbreast whereithasrestedsolong; ifIweretokillit—asIwantto— Iknowmydeathwouldbeyourdeathtoo.
rei, poi che vi pia
Il Desiderio libro primo (1566)
Maddalena Casulana c. 1544-1590
ed. Liza Calisesi Maidens
rei, poi che vi pia
uc ci den dol'
uc ci den dol' io,
uc ci den dol'