Luzzasco Luzzaschi's Madrigali are something of a special case. Originally published in 1601, but probably composed about 20 years earlier, they are the only surviving music to mirror precisely the repertory of pieces for three voices and accompaniment of the famous ''Three Ladies of Ferrara''. A distinctive feature, in fact the novelty of their vocal style, was the execution of passages of simultaneously executed embellishment. The novelty lay not in the fact that all the performers were women, nor that ornamentation was added (it was a common sixteenth-century practice). What was new about the singing style of the ''Three Ladies'' was that the ornamentation was executed in all voices at the same time, thus removing the element of improvisation and requiring the result to be written down. Along with a high degree of virtuosity went a well-developed dramatic sense. As one contemporary wrote: ''They moderated or increased their voices, loud or soft, heavy or light, according to the demands of the piece . . . now slow, breaking off with sometimes a gentle sigh, now singing long passages legato or detached, now groups, now leaps, now with long trills now with short.''
The ''Three Ladies'' on this record are plausible. The passage-work is handled with dexterity, and the three voices are well matched. Altogether we are given the entire contents of Luzzaschi's 1601 publication, beginning with the solo-voice pieces and finishing up with the trios. It should be said that quite extraordinary liberties are taken with the literal notation of Luzzaschi's text. Rests are added, extra pauses inserted, a great deal of rubato is used, and as if there isn't enough already extra ornaments are added.
It should also be said that Luzzaschi's pieces are pretty slight, and it is difficult to see how else they can be brought alive except by singing them in this quasi-recitative way. Nicely recorded.'