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Strana armonia by Sigismondo d'India
Your desired one sings you a song, fair to hear. But all you can hear is a strange, parallel song of what could have been. The daring harmonies grind in your ear. The melodic lines and each expressive accent bring pain, not joy. And your parallel inner song, unlike the real one, goes on and on and on.

I bet most of us at some point have experienced something like this. It's not fun, but it is part of learning about love and attraction and disappointment and (its reverse) the beauty of love returned.

Sigismondo d'India (c.1582-1629) is another wonderful composer of whom many people have never heard. A generation or so younger than Monteverdi, this northern Italian musician wrote in most of the styles (current and developing) of his time. In addition to sacred music, he published eight volumes of 5-part madrigals, as well as a raft of secular works for one, two or three voices. His style ranged from the so-called stile antico right up to the most current early Baroque styles. Following in the footsteps of Gesualdo, he had a particular penchant for interesting (even challenging) harmonies, as you'll hear in this week's madrigal, 'Strana armonia'.

In fact, as described above, Marino's poem cries out for interesting harmonies. And d'India delivers, with strange and wondrous vertical sonorities arrived at by creative and devious ways and means. It's a textbook example of non-gratuitous harmonic daring--which is to say (circling back around) that the words are the mistress of the music, impelling the composer to push the limits of chords and counterpoint.

Attached (yes, actually attached this time!) are score, recording and Cinzia's pronunciation guide. There is no separate text-translation sheet because these are encompassed in the score document.

Enjoy--stay safe--try to stay sane--'With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.'
Download Score
Pronunciation Track
Download all learning materials
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