The Gesualdo Hex

Carlo Gesualdo (1566–1613), from 1591 prince of Venosa, led a life filled with mysticism, intrigue, scandal, fanaticism, and religion. As a wealthy nobleman, he indulged in playing and writing mostly vocal music set to religious texts, pioneering intricate canonic forms and paying great attention to the harmonic structures and tonalities present in the contrapuntal lines. In the twentieth century, many composers, notably Schoenberg and Stravinsky, turned to Gesualdo’s late motets for inspiration, and the Italian’s exploration of chromaticism strongly influenced the development of serialism. Gesualdo influenced art, theater, and opera, too, through the stories of his turbulent life. As coeditor of Gesualdo’s complete works, Watkins exposed contemporary musicians to his late motets, and the unique perspective that work afforded him facilitates his demonstration of how cultural and musical aspects of the Renaissance are woven into the art, drama, and music of modern times. Focused on the late twentieth century, this concise essay in musical and general art history links Renaissance canonical chromaticism and contemporary music.