The Project

Gesualdo Online is the website dedicated to the complete work of Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (1566-1613), one of the major composers of the late Italian Renaissance. The project collects the entire production of Carlo Gesualdo, which consists of more than 200 edited pieces of music and 39 references to the musical sources. Downloading is free of charge, with editions available in three formats: pdf, Sibelius and MEI files. In addition, Gesualdo Online proposes dynamic editions, in which the user can identify the variants attested in the different sources and choose the ones she or he prefers. This innovative proposal aims to encourage a rethinking of the basic principle of the critical edition.

Gesualdo Online makes available to our community of music lovers, musicians and researchers Gesualdo’s complete musical works as follows:

• 6 books of madrigals for 5 voices (123 compositions);
• 1 book of madrigals for 6 voices (13 pieces, only the Quinto survives);
• 2 books of Sacrae Cantiones (39 motets, 20 incomplete);
• 1 book of Responsoria (27 responsoria, 1 Benedictus, 1 Miserere);
• 3 canzonette, 2 motets and 1 gagliarda (instrumental), published in separated anthologies;
• 1 canzon alla francese (instrumental).

As for the incomplete compositions, we propose that users interested in Carlo Gesualdo’s music create accounts and contribute to the online edition with their own reconstructions. All those interested are invited to contact Vincent Besson.