Ardo per voi languisco

This SATTB madrigal by Giovanni Battista de Bellis sets an Italian text that speaks of unrequited love. The composer depicts the singer's burning passion, languishing, and constant sighs, as he circles his beloved, his 'Argo mio'. He laments that her gaze, which both ignites and consumes him, does not see his tears or his devotion. The text uses the powerful metaphor of Argus, the hundred-eyed giant, to contrast with his beloved's blindness, likening her to a mole, unable to perceive his heart's suffering despite her many 'eyes' of perception. The music likely reflects these strong emotions through its contrapuntal texture and harmonic language typical of the genre.