Che nuova luce è quella

This setting by Alessandro Striggio captures the wonder of a new dawn, described by Torquato Tasso. The words paint a radiant scene where a fresh light imbues the sky with its radiance and adorns the earth with beauty, as if crafted by Love himself. The soprano solo introduces this vision, before the full SATTB choir enters to explore the imagery. The text personifies this new dawn as Alba novella, carrying roses and violets, with Love in her heart and the Sun in her eyes, a vivid personification that Striggio's polyphony magnificently illustrates. This secular Italian madrigal is a striking example of Renaissance word-painting.