13.1 The madrigal

Nonsinging considerations

Members of a madrigal ensemble need to be able to project the music to an audience. They should be personable people who are able to reflect the drama of the music in their faces and with their gestures.

It is also desirable to have singers who can move gracefully. You may not wish to have them dance but the members will occasionally need to move about in front of an audience. They must be able to do this with confidence.

Each member must be willing to make some sacrifice for the ensemble. People must want to be chosen for the madrigal. The infectious enthusiasm of a few singers, selected for a group that has prestige, is a major factor not only to the success of that group, but to the success of the choral department. In a school situation students selected for the madrigal should be secure academically because the rehearsal and performance demands can become rigorous at times.

Use of instruments

Instruments can lend variety to a concert of vocal chamber music. Several instruments are particularly suited to the madrigal ensemble.

The recorder, forerunner of the modern flute, has enjoyed a return to popularity. It has a pleasant tone that is complimentary to voices, particularly to young voices, but also to mature voices. It is relatively easy to learn to play; a good student should be able to learn to play most madrigal part lines within a week. If some members have had training on other instruments, it would be advantageous to use them on recorders. They will probably learn to play the instrument quicker than non-instrumentalists. It is easiest to begin using soprano and alto recorders and add the tenor and bass as desired.

Experiment with recorders and voices. Use the recorders on the voice parts doubling the voices; use them instead of voices on one or two parts; use them alone for a section or verse of a piece. Recorders can add an enjoyable dimension to the madrigal ensemble.

Other instruments can also be used with considerable success. A harpsichord is not as easy to acquire as the recorder but, when available, is a worthy addition. A small, single manual harpsichord will serve nicely as a continuo instrument in support of a small vocal ensemble and for larger ensembles as well. In addition, woodwind instruments are worthy of consideration. The

modern flute as well as the clarinet, oboe, bassoon, bass clarinet, and contrabass clarinet are useful both as supporting and contrasting instruments. The tone quality and volume of these instruments are delightfully compatible with voices. They do not overbalance voices and they work well with small ensembles. Woodwind instruments are also generally available, and this author recommends that directors investigate and experiment with this combination of instruments and voices.

Several percussion instruments can easily be used—finger cymbals, tabor, tambourine, etc. Be sure to keep the use of percussion to small instruments and their playing time at a minimum. They can be effective if used tastefully, but are ruinous when used without discretion.

Above all, be imaginative regarding the use of instruments. The capella madrigal is a myth. When the madrigal was at its peak of popularity there was no hesitancy to use instruments with the voices or in place of part or all of the voices. Many beginning madrigal ensembles would be aided by the addition of supporting instruments.