Chi vol haver felice e lieto il core, SV 162

On a festive occasion, perhaps a private concert or courtly entertainment, one might hear Monteverdi’s SSATB madrigal Chi vol haver felice e lieto il core. The text warns against the tyranny of Love, portraying him as a deceitful flatterer who kills when he seems most playful. The composer’s setting vividly captures the emotional turmoil described in the words, with dissonances and dramatic contrasts mirroring the text’s injunctions to fear beauty and flee from Love’s allure. Monteverdi’s mastery of the madrigal form is evident in his sensitive treatment of the Italian verse, making this a compelling work for discerning choirs.