Monteverdi - Ohimé, Se Tanto Amate

Question 0

What were madrigals sometimes accompanied by?

Answer 0

A lute

Question 1

What is the instrumentation?

Answer 1

SSATB

Question 2

What is the structure?

Answer 2

Through-composed although no strict structure.

Question 3

Name a recurring thematic feature

Answer 3

The falling third on the word Ohimé

Question 4

What is the texture of this piece?

Answer 4

Use of homophonic passages (1-6, 20-23, 30-33 etc)
Use of imitative polyphony (33-37, ATB 39-41)
Use of parallel thirds (SS 5-8, 61-65)

Question 5

Tell me about the antiphonal effect in Bars 1-4

Answer 5

S answers AT, perhaps representing the sighing of two lovers?

Question 6

What is the tonality?

Answer 6

The key suggests 1 flat but the piece is in G minor. D minor is often used.

Question 7

Tell me about the harmony

Answer 7

Use of Tierce de Picardie at end and in bar 19
Use of Dominant Pedal in B (61-66)
Unprepared dissonances (2,4 etc)
False relations (19-20, 37-38, 49-51 chain of fr’s)

Question 8

What do the dissonances and false relations represent?

Answer 8

Agony

Question 9

Tell me about the penultimate chord of the piece

Answer 9

It ‘should’ have an A at the top but has a B to preserve falling third motif of Ohimé

Question 10

What about words is typical of secconda prattica or representational style?

Answer 10

The music serves the words

Question 11

What does the falling third on Ohimé represent?

Answer 11

Sighing

Question 12

What does the repeated Ohimé represent and in what bars does it appear especially?

Answer 12

Thousands of sighs and especially Bars 47-51

Question 13

What year was this piece written?

Answer 13

1603

Question 14

What are Monteverdi’s dates?

Answer 14

1567-1643

Question 15

How is the word setting?

Answer 15

Nearly syllabic throughout

Question 16

Give an example of 3 unusual melodic shapes and where they are

Answer 16

tritone in top part in bar 12
descending seventh in bass bar 16
chromatic progression in second part bars 16-17

Question 17

Time signature?

Answer 17

Remains constant throughout, however, the words are still served at all times

Question 18

Why is there an elision in Bar 5?

Answer 18

To ensure the stressed syllable ‘ma’ falls on the third beat of the bar

Question 19

What happens in Bar 18?

Answer 19

Music slows down for ‘morire’ (to die)

Question 20

What word is set to slower minims rather than the busier quavers?

Answer 20

‘lo moro’ (I die) and double entendre of the verb also being used in a sexual context

Question 21

What are all at the discretion of the performer?

Answer 21

Tempo, Dynamics and Phrasing