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Volgea l'anima mia soavemente by Claudio Monteverdi
On a day that may be full of turmoil (interior and exterior), I offer an exquisite madrigal which has an excellent outcome: Monteverdi's 'Volgea l'anima mia soavemente', from his 'Quarto Libro dei Madrigali a Cinque Voci' (1603).

As with many (though not all) madrigals, the poem (by G.B. Guarini) is about love. The setting is clearly intimate--a tête-à-tête between two lovers about giving their hearts to each other. In some ways, it reminds me of the great song from 'West Side Story', 'One Hand, One Heart'. In a nutshell, the woman asks the man for his heart. He gives it freely, but then cries out, panicked and afraid: 'Deprived of my heart, who will give me life?' And she calmly and with overwhelming love replies:
'I will: for I am your heart'.

This touching scene is rendered so beautifully by Monteverdi. Each phrase is perfectly set to music, each following on the other, building to his desperate outcry: 'Misero e privo del cor!'; and resolving unforgettably with her reply:
'Io, che son il tuo core', set to a descending line against a long-held high note.

This is one of the pieces I always think of when someone talks of madrigals as being nothing but fa-la-la's and nymphs and shepherds. At their finest, Monteverdi and the other great madrigalists plumb the depths of human experience, translating signal moments into divine musical form.

As usual, attached are score, recording, pronunciation and text/translation.
In addition, here is a link to the same recording on YouTube with scrolling score.

Lots of love--don't go crazy--keep the faith--
Click here to download learning materials
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