Changer ne puis

The chansonnier Johannes Lupi expresses a lover’s quandary in this secular four-part song for STTB. The text speaks of a desire to remain faithful to reason and its dictates, yet the power of Cupid, the god of love, proves irresistible. The lover is drawn into actions that please this god, even against rational judgment. Lupi’s music reflects this internal conflict, with harmonies and melodic lines that capture the tension between duty and desire, logic and passion. This piece offers a poignant glimpse into the Renaissance understanding of love’s complexities, set in the elegant French language.