This edition was prepared by Willem Verkaik — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Belle nimfe del mar' vaghe e serene
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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Belle nimfe del mar' vaghe e serene by Jan Tollius — Lyrics
Belle nimfe del mar' vaghe e serene,
onde turbat' e minacciose venti,
curvi delphini, voi che state intenti
su'l mar' ad ascoltar l'alte mie pene,
e voi lidi sonanti, ove s'attiene,
la fragil speme mia, siate contenti,
de miei si lunghi e dolorosi accenti
farne fede à ciascun nocchier che viene.
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About Belle nimfe del mar' vaghe e serene
Jan Tollius’s Belle nimfe del mar' vaghe e serene is a remarkable example of secular Renaissance part-music. The text paints a vivid scene: the poet appeals to the nymphs of the sea, the winds, and the dolphins to bear witness to his suffering. He laments that his cruel beloved, whose pride matches her beauty, holds him in unrequited servitude. To ensure her cruelty and his fidelity are known to all sailors, he has carved her name onto a rock. The five-part setting for SSATTB voices masterfully captures the drama and emotion of this Petrarchan sonnet, bringing the imagined seascape and the poet's anguish to life with rich harmonic language and contrapuntal detail.
