Giaches de Wert

Giaches de Wert (1535 – May 6, 1596) was a Franco-Flemish composer active in Italy. He was one of the leaders in developing the style of the late Renaissance madrigal.

Music and influence

De Wert wrote over 230 madrigals and other secular works (published in 16 volumes 1558–1608), as well as over 150 sacred pieces (motets, hymns etc.) which demonstrate his contrapuntal mastery.

Related Topics:
Madrigal - 1558 - 1608 - Motets - Hymns - Contrapuntal

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Stylistically, his madrigals were among the most advanced of the time: in the 1580s, he was one of the leaders in developing a new, expressive, emotionally intense style, along with Luzzasco Luzzaschi and Luca Marenzio, a style which culminated in the work of Monteverdi and Gesualdo. He tends to use a homophonic texture in his madrigals, although never exclusively; passages of polyphony appear as an animating contrast. In his latest works, in the 1590s, he began experimenting with the new concertato style, with groups of voices in dialogue.

Related Topics:
Luzzasco Luzzaschi - Luca Marenzio - Monteverdi - Gesualdo - Homophonic - Polyphony - Concertato

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De Wert stands between Cypriano de Rore and Claudio Monteverdi, who worked under him at Mantua and whom he greatly influenced.

Related Topics:
Cypriano de Rore - Claudio Monteverdi

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He died in Mantua.

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