Carlo Gesualdo

Carlo Gesualdo di Venosa (30 March 1566 – 8 September 1613), Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, was an Italian Renaissance composer.

Gesualdo is known for his books of sacred and secular vocal music, particularly his madrigals, some of which explore extreme chromatic progressions and unprepared changes of harmony which were unprecedented at the time, and stretched the boundaries of accepted tonality to a point rarely seen again until the second half of the 19th century. For this reason, Gesualdo has gained posthumous fame and acclaim, particularly from 20th century composers such as Igor Stravinsky.

Gesualdo is also known for his behavior characteristic of possible mental illness, including lewdness, violence, and sadism, culminating in the brutal murder of his wife and her lover. Gesualdo is also believed to have engaged in masochistic practices and possibly to have ordered his own death. This has led to various rumors and legends about him over the centuries, with some locals believing he was a victim of demonic possession.

Gesualdo's family had acquired the principality of Venosa in what is now the Province of Potenza, Southern Italy, in 1560. He was born on March 30, 1566, three years after his older brother Luigi. His uncle was Carlo Borromeo, later Saint Charles Borromeo. In addition, Gesualdo's mother, Geronima Borromeo, was the niece of Pope Pius IV. Older sources give a birth year of 1560 for Carlo, but this is no longer accepted.

Most likely Carlo was born at Venosa, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, but little else is known about his early life. "His mother died when he was only seven, and at the request of his uncle, Carlo Borromeo for whom he was named, he was sent to Rome to be set on the path of an ecclesiastical career. There he was placed under the protection of his uncle, Alfonso (d.1603), then dean of the College of Cardinals, later unsuccessful pretender to the papacy, and ultimately Archbishop of Naples." His brother Luigi was to become the next Prince of Venosa, but after his untimely death in 1584, Carlo became the designated successor. Abandoning the prospect of an ecclesiastical career he married his first cousin, Donna Maria d'Avalos, the daughter of the Marquis of Pescara, in 1586. They had a son, Emanuele.

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