What is a madrigal?

• A. Piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, usually about love (William Byrd).
• B. A single instrument piece.
• C. A choral work with full SATB.
• D. A dance form.

Answer: (A)

Madrigal is a Renaissance vocal piece written for several voices, set to a short poem, usually about love. It focuses on the poetry and how the music mirrors its meaning, with the voices interweaving in a polyphonic texture, often performed without instrumental accompaniment. This makes the description that it’s a piece for multiple voices set to a short love poem—an association you’ll find with composers like William Byrd—the best fit. It isn’t a single-instrument work, nor a dance form, and while choral music can involve multiple parts, madrigals are defined by their secular, text-driven, polyphonic vocal writing rather than a fixed SATB choral structure.