Bianca neve è il bel collo

Imagine a warm Renaissance gathering, perhaps a private salon or courtly occasion, where this delightful Italian madrigal by Nicolao Dorati might be performed. Sung by a rich male ensemble of two tenors and two basses (ATTBB), Bianca neve è il bel collo celebrates physical beauty with vivid, sensual imagery drawn from Petrarch. The text paints a picture of a woman’s fair skin and ample form, likening her breasts to unripe apples of ivory, and her movement to waves gently lapping the shore. The final lines suggest that what is hidden must surely match the perfection of what is revealed. This is secular part-music at its most evocative.