This edition was prepared by Willem Verkaik — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Deh coprite il bel seno
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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Deh coprite il bel seno by Alfonso Fontanelli — Lyrics
Deh, coprite il bel seno,
Che per troppo mirar l’alma vien meno!
Ahi! no'l coprite, no, che l’alma avezza
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About Deh coprite il bel seno
Alfonso Fontanelli's Deh coprite il bel seno is a madrigal for SSATB voices, typical of the secular part-music of the Italian Renaissance. The text, in Italian, expresses a lover's plea to cover a beautiful breast, lest the sight overwhelm the soul. Yet, almost immediately, the plea is reversed: do not cover it, for the soul, accustomed to sweetness, hopes to find life and death from that very sight. The composer sets this dramatic turn with shifting affections, the music reflecting the speaker's conflicted emotions between desire and apprehension. It is a work suited for a concert programme exploring the expressive range of the Renaissance madrigal.
