This edition was prepared by Christos Christodoulou — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Ancidetemi pur, grievi martiri
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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Ancidetemi pur, grievi martiri by Carlo Gesualdo — Lyrics
Ancidetemi pur, grievi martiri,
che il viver sì m’annoia
che il morir mi fia gioia;
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About Ancidetemi pur, grievi martiri
Carlo Gesualdo's madrigal Ancidetemi pur, grievi martiri showcases the composer's distinctive harmonic language within the secular Italian tradition of the late Renaissance. Scored for SSATB voices, this piece is a powerful exploration of intense emotion, characteristic of Gesualdo's often dramatic and dissonant style. The text, as its opening lines suggest, speaks of a profound weariness with life, to the point where death itself is welcomed as a joy. The singer expresses a desperate plea to their cruel tormentor, even the 'impius beast' of their love, to bring about their end, finding solace only in the thought of perishing for love. It is a stark and concentrated expression of suffering and longing.
