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Monteverdi: Ohimè, se tanto amate (p.353)
Context
 The Italian composer Monteverdi (1567-1643) was a contemporary of John
Dowland and, of course, Shakespeare.
 Transitional composer with a foot in the late Renaissance, but also a key figure
in the early Baroque
 Wrote music in many genres: for the church, for the princely courts of
Northern Italy, and for the newly built opera houses
Style
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Ohimè is a madrigal, that is, an unaccompanied piece of secular vocal music in
several parts (5 voices here) from Monteverdi’s Libro IV de madrigali, published
in 1603
Monteverdi has set a short poem by Guarini, a sophisticated bit of lightly erotic
writing in which the lover’s many sighs (ohimè - use your imagination) are
contrasted with the one final moan he will let out if he expires because of his
lady’s coldness
Music reflects the aesthetics of the seconda pratica, a new approach to vocal
and dramatic music which came into fashion around 1600. The composer
aimed to express the meaning of the words as directly and intensely as possible
Intended for the highly trained professional singers of the court, rather than
home performance by amateurs: it is quite tricky in terms of pitch and ensemble
Rhythm and word-setting
 Largely syllabic and quite declamatory in places (unlike the flowing lines of
Renaissance vocal music)
 Follows the natural spoken rhythm of the words; through-composed
 Important words are highlighted, either by longer notes, stress or repetition
 Ohimè is given a particularly realistic setting, with its drooping thirds, which
invites the singers to dramatise their performance
Melodic lines and textures
 Rather fragmented at times, and always controlled by the meaning and spoken
rhythms of the words
 Range from brief motives, such as the falling thirds (ohimè), through speech-like
repeated quavers and crotchets (bs.5, 7, 8, 47 onwards) to short but expressive
melodic lines which rise and fall, generally by step (bs.36 - 8, top parts)
 Varies texture throughout, merging one type into another:
o Contrapuntal textures, involving imitation between voices (deh perchè
fate b.10ff; doloroso b.33ff)
o Antiphony, such as the opening exchange of ohimès between alto/tenor
and canto/quinto from b.1
o Homophonic passages, when all voices move together (bs.5, 21-3, 28-32,
etc.)
o Note that bass line sometimes moves more slowly, underpinning the
upper voices
Harmony & tonality
 G minor: note the single flat in the key signature. Not until the C18 did minor
keys acquire the same signature as their relative major
 Perfect cadences mark the end of sections (on D in b.19, G in b.38, for
example)
 Final cadence onto G major chord (tierce de Picardie)
 Individual chords are generally root or first inversion triads, with dissonances
created by suspensions and passing notes
 Some striking and unusual harmonic progressions, used to make an expressive
point about the lover’s anguished state:
o 3: odd sound of E natural in canto above Bb in bass - effectively a 3rd
inversion 7th chord
o 16-7: F major, plus dissonant G in bass (which jumps down a 7th) – A
major plus dissonant B in tenor, with notes a/b/c sharp/d all sounded
together on the second beat of b.17
o 47-52: insistent Bb chords flow into sequence of falling third ohimès
harmonised to give false relations (e.g. F-F sharp, Eb-E)
o 62-7: bass on pedal D (the dominant). D min chords (note false relation
end of b.62) give way to sequence of passing dissonances and an odd
final cadence, not V - I (D – G), but iiib – I (Bm – G)
Questions
1. Give three examples of words which are emphasised by the music for expressive
effect (apart from ohimè)
2. How does Monteverdi use harmonic devices to dramatic effect in Ohimè?
3. Compare the two settings of the words e doloroso ohimè sentire in bars 24-9 and
33-38; comment on vocal writing, textures and harmony