Credete voi ch'i' viva

Luca Marenzio’s Credete voi ch’i’ viva is a secular Italian madrigal for SSAAB voices. The text expresses the lover's torment, caught between the sustenance he finds in thinking of his beloved and the agony of their absence. He asks if they believe he is alive, feeding his hungry heart on the thought of love, yet lamenting that he dies from this very absence. The music would have been composed to reflect the poignancy and contrasts within the text, a hallmark of the Italian madrigal tradition. Marenzio’s skill lies in setting these complex emotions for multiple voice parts, creating a rich and expressive texture.