Willaert greatly extended the scope of the villanelle by original harmonic and rhythmic writing.
This selection includes Madonna mia fa and the lovely O bene mio fa.
Adrian Willaert (c1490-1562) was almost certainly the most versatile composer of his generation. It appears that he studied in Paris under Jean Mouton, but that quite early in his career he made his way to Italy, where he must have quickly established himself as an important musician, for in 1527 he became maestro di cappella at St. Mark’s, Venice.
