What does madrigal mean?
A madrigal is chiefly an elaborate vocal composition for a choir, especially one from the Renaissance that sets a poem to several independent, interwoven vocal lines. The genre is closely associated with sixteenth-century Italian music and was often performed without instrumental accompaniment, though accompaniment is not excluded by definition. The word can also refer to the Italian poetic form that supplied many madrigal texts and, more narrowly, to a poem written in praise of someone. In modern English, the musical sense is dominant, while the literary senses tend to sound formal, specialized, or historical. The term is useful because it names a distinctive meeting of poetry and polyphonic music: singers perform separate melodic lines that sound simultaneously, creating complexity and harmonic independence characteristic of the Renaissance madrigal tradition.
nounAn elaborate polyphonic choral composition, typically for unaccompanied voices and associated with the Renaissance. The word can also denote an Italian poetic form or, more narrowly, a poem written in praise of someone.
- An elaborate polyphonic choral composition, especially one associated with sixteenth-century Italy and typically unaccompanied.
- A Renaissance Italian literary form consisting of a short lyric poem, often pastoral or arranged in regular stanzas.
- A complimentary poem addressed to or praising someone.
"The choir performed a sixteenth-century Italian madrigal with astonishing intricacy."
"Their album features a lively madrigal recorded with a period ensemble."
"The manuscript contains a madrigal in praise of the countess."
The standard plural refers to multiple musical compositions or to several poems of the same type.
"The program included madrigals by composers from several European countries."
The madrigal began as a poem and became one of the Renaissance’s most intricate musical forms, turning the sound of human voices into a landscape of interlocking melodies.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does madrigal come from?
The English word comes from Italian madrigale, denoting a poem or song, which developed from late Latin matricula, a diminutive of matrix in the sense “source” or “womb”; matrix in turn derives from Latin mater, “mother.” In Italian, madrigale came to designate both a poetic form and its musical setting. This history links the word cognately with English forms such as maternal, matrix, and matrimony.
How madrigal is actually used
The musical sense is dominant in modern English, especially in discussion of Renaissance music, while the poetic senses are more literary, specialized, and historical. A madrigal is not simply any song for several voices: its defining feature is the combination of separate, harmonically distinct vocal lines.
Easily confused with madrigal
A madrigal is a polyphonic vocal composition, whereas a mandolin is a stringed musical instrument.