Amour me poingt

The chansonnier Jacotin here sets a French text of unrequited love, where the singer laments that love wounds him and leaves him without hope. He declares that it would be better to die in silence, for death is sweet if it can extinguish pain. This secular song for two sopranos and tenor reflects the intense emotional expression found in the chanson repertoire of the early 16th century. The intimate voicing for three high voices suits the confessional and poignant nature of the text, creating a delicate yet earnest musical setting for this meditation on suffering and the desire for release.