Vagh' amorosi augelli (Maddalena Casulana, ed. Michael Winter)

In Vagh’ amorosi augelli, Maddalena Casulana draws on the rich pastoral tradition of Renaissance poetry to weave a madrigal full of sensual beauty and quiet longing. The speaker addresses birds in springtime, asking them to sing once more of love amid blossoms, golden hair, and memories of joy and sorrow tied to the beloved Chloris (the nymph associated with Spring, flowers, and growth). The most striking moment of the peace appears towards the end on the text ‘udite l’armonia’ [hear the harmony]. Casulana slows down the harmonic rhythm of the work to emphasis the forthcoming shift on ‘l’armonia’ to emphasise the harmony so that the singers and listeners can quite literally ‘hear the harmony’.

Catalogue number: CE2506

ISMN: 979-0-708266-35-8

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Maddalena Casulana (c. 1544 – c. 1590) was an Italian composer, singer, and lutenist, and the first woman known to have published music. She was likely born near Siena, and benefited from the patronage of Isabella de' Medici

Her Primo libro de’ madrigali (1568) was a landmark publication, not just musically, but socially. In its dedication, Casulana challenged the belief that intellectual and artistic talent belonged only to men. She wrote of the desire ‘to show to the world… the foolish error of men who so greatly believe themselves to be the masters of high intellectual gifts that [these gifts] cannot… be equally common among women.’

Casulana was well respected in her time, traveling to Munich to compose for a royal wedding, performing in elite academies, and inspiring dedications from poets and musicians alike. Though her output was small, her impact was historic as a pioneer for women in music publishing and composition.