Macque - The Music of a Sixteenth-Century Experimentalist

Tesserae explores the extraordinary music of Giovanni de Macque, one of the most experimental composers of the late Renaissance.

Tesserae Baroque explores the extraordinary music of Giovanni de Macque (c. 1548–1614), one of the most extravagant and experimental composers of the late Renaissance.

Known for pushing the boundaries of chromatic harmonic language, the use of highly unusual textures, complex contrapuntal structure, and a highly expressive approach to composition, Macque--the probable composition maestro of Carlo Gesualdo--was an important influence in the musical world of the late Renaissance, and paved the road to the early Baroque style.

This program features Macque’s madrigals and motets with instrumental works for strings and keyboard.