Ch'io non t'ami cor mio

Benedetto Pallavicino was a prolific composer of madrigals in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. This secular Italian work, Ch'io non t'ami cor mio, is written for SSATB voices. The text explores a passionate question: how could I not love you, my heart? It denies the possibility of abandoning a beloved for a new desire or hope, declaring that death would be preferable. The poet argues that if the beloved is the source of all happiness and desire, then separation is impossible without perishing. The music would have reflected the intensity of these emotions through the intricate polyphony typical of the madrigal genre.