Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A song for two or three unaccompanied voices, developed in Italy in the late 1200s and early 1300s.
- noun A short poem, often about love, suitable for being set to music.
- noun A polyphonic song using a vernacular text and written for four to six voices, developed in Italy in the 16th century and popular in England in the 1500s and early 1600s.
- noun A part song.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A medieval poem or song, amorous, pastoral, or descriptive. The distinguishing characteristics of the madrigal are now hard to determine.
- noun In music
- noun A musical setting of such a poem.
- noun A glee or partsong in general, irrespective of contrapuntal qualities.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A little amorous poem, sometimes called a
pastoral poem , containing some tender and delicate, though simple, thought. - noun (Mus.) An unaccompanied polyphonic song, in four, five, or more parts, set to secular words, but full of counterpoint and imitation, and adhering to the old church modes. Unlike the freer glee, it is best sung with several voices on a part. See
Glee .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun music a
song for a small number ofunaccompanied voices ; from 13th centuryItaly - noun music a
polyphonic song for aboutsix voices, from 16th century Italy - noun a short
poem , oftenpastoral , and suitable to be set tomusic
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an unaccompanied partsong for 2 or 3 voices; follows a strict poetic form
- verb sing madrigals
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The madrigal is a piece of vocal music adapted to words of an amorous or cheerful cast, composed for four, five, or six voices, and intended for performance in convivial parties or private musical societies.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 19, No. 539, March 24, 1832 Various
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A madrigal was a secular composition, generally devoted to love, but in polyphonic style, and in one of the ecclesiastical modes.
A Popular History of the Art of Music From the Earliest Times Until the Present 1874
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Although the madrigal was a highly sophisticated musico-poetic form featuring advanced harmonies and subtle texts of great literary value, it was, after all, a choral form meant for unstaged performance.
Opera Today 2009
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The popularity of such song-forms as the "madrigal," which was sung without musical accompaniment, made it easy for the public stage to cater to the prevalent taste.
A Study of Poetry Bliss Perry 1907
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I folded this kind of madrigal in prose, and sent it by Joseph, who handed it to Marguerite herself; she replied that she would send the answer later.
Camille Alexandre Dumas fils 1859
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She has also featured in a "madrigal" show at Edinburgh's Fringe Festival with local children performing a collection of poetry and plays.
unknown title 2009
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She has also featured in a "madrigal" show at Edinburgh's Fringe Festival with local children performing a collection of poetry and plays.
unknown title 2009
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She has also featured in a "madrigal" show at Edinburgh's Fringe Festival with local children performing a collection of poetry and plays.
unknown title 2009
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Though Claudio Cavina's fine group are best known for their recordings of the two greatest late-renaissance madrigal composers, Gesualdo and Monteverdi, they have not neglected the works of less celebrated 16th-century composers.
Luzzaschi: Concerto della Dame: La Venexiana/Cavina – review 2011
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"I heard some of the people in my college sing Monteverdi's madrigal 'Lamento della Ninfa,' and I was moved to tears by it," he recalled.
When Sheer Power Is Not Enough David Mermelstein 2011
milosrdenstvi commented on the word madrigal
sing, sing a merry madrigal
May 4, 2009