What is the characteristic structure of a lyric 'madrigal' as it developed in Renaissance literature?
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Correct answer: A short, flexible secular poem of varying line lengths, set to polyphonic part-music
The literary madrigal is a brief, fluid secular lyric form that arose in Italy and flourished in Elizabethan England. It features an irregular and unrestricted layout of short and long lines with a flexible rhyme scheme, which made it perfectly adaptable for composers creating polyphonic music (songs for multiple intertwined voices without instrumental backup). It typically explores themes of courtly love, pastoral beauty, or witty romance.
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