Aye me, my wonted joys

Aye me, my wonted joys forsake me speaks of a profound sorrow that has overtaken the singer. The words express a lament, where the speaker's former joys have vanished, replaced by deep despair. They recall a time of singing, now supplanted by weeping, and a paradoxical state of wishing to live yet feeling as though they die, all attributed to the misery wrought by love. This secular madrigal for SAAT voices captures the essence of unrequited or lost love through its poignant English text. Thomas Weelkes, a prominent composer of the English madrigal school, masterfully conveys the emotional turmoil of the text, creating a piece that is both dramatically expressive and musically engaging for the choir.