Cogliete delle spine homai le rose

From the secular Italian madrigal tradition, Cogliete delle spine homai le rose is by Jacquet de Berchem for SATB choir. The text advises a lady to seize the roses while she can, for mortal beauty is as fleeting as a flower, and pleasures pass swiftly like wind or arrows, leaving only sorrow. It urges her not to delay in offering comfort, lest she finds herself old and her admirer already dead. Berchem's music captures the Renaissance spirit of word-painting, urging the singers to reflect the poignant and urgent message of the poetry through their performance.