This edition was prepared by Allen Garvin — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Bianchi Cigni e canori
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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3 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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Bianchi Cigni e canori by Luca Marenzio — Lyrics
Bianchi Cigni, e canori;
Che de la secca fronde
Cantaste i falsi pregi, e i finti honori
Qui, dove in riva à l’onde
Del Rè de’ fiumi altero
Piangono il caso fero
Del mal cauto Fetonte le sorelle;
Alzate il novo LAURO oltra le stelle.
Alzate il novo LAURO oltra le stelle,
Vaghe, e leggiadre Ninfe;
E’n queste parti e’n quelle
Di mormoranti linfe,
E di garruli augei le piagge, i monti,
E le profonde valli
Rimbombin sì, che l’AURA il verde LAURO
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About Bianchi Cigni e canori
Luca Marenzio’s Bianchi Cigni e canori is a secular Italian madrigal for AATTBB voices. The text conjures a pastoral scene, a gathering of nymphs and fauns by a riverbank where Phaethon’s sisters weep for their brother’s fate. The music is called upon to celebrate a new laurel, raised high above the stars. Marenzio’s setting paints the evocative imagery with rich harmonies and intricate vocal lines, characteristic of the late Renaissance madrigal. The composer urges the singers to fill the landscape with the sounds of nature and dance, calling for a lively celebration. This piece would suit a choir seeking to explore the expressive possibilities of the madrigal tradition, evoking both classical myth and the beauty of the natural world.
