Deh! dimmi tu

This setting by Francesco Landini opens with a bright, declamatory unison melody, soon joined by the other voices in close imitation. The SAT voicing is employed throughout, with the parts often moving in homophony to project the text clearly. The Italian lyrics express a rhetorical question, chiding someone who is overly proud of their possessions and appearance. The text questions the value of such superficial adornments when faced with the fleeting nature of worldly glory. This secular madrigal from the late medieval period demonstrates Landini's characteristic melodic invention and sensitivity to the expressive potential of the Italian language.