This edition was prepared by Allen Garvin — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Cruda Amarilli
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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3 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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Cruda Amarilli by Benedetto Pallavicino — Lyrics
Cruda Amarilli, che col nome ancora,
d’amar, ahi lasso! amaramente insegni;
Amarilli, del candido ligustro
più candida e più bella,
ma de l’aspido sordo
e più sorda e più fera e più fugace;
poi ché col dir t’offendo,
i’ mi morrò tacendo.
Ma grideran per me le piaggie, e i monti
e questa selva, a cui
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About Cruda Amarilli
Benedetto Pallavicino, a composer of the late Renaissance, wrote Cruda Amarilli for SSAAB choir. This secular Italian madrigal explores a complex emotional landscape. The text speaks of a cruel beloved, Amarilli, whose name suggests sweetness but delivers only bitterness. The poet laments her coldness and flightiness, comparing her unfavourably to nature's beauty and even to a serpent. He declares that if speaking of her offends, he will die in silence. Yet, he finds solace in the idea that the natural world—the hills, the woods, the springs, and the winds—will echo his suffering and proclaim his unrequited love. His grief will be visible in his face, and even in death, his martyrdom will be revealed.
