Deh perché dianzi in prova

This secular Italian madrigal for SATB voices, Deh perché dianzi in prova, is drawn from Canto XXX of Jacquet de Berchem's settings of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. The text speaks of past regrets and a desire to prove oneself in battle, contrasting martial prowess with a potential, sorrowful fate. The poet laments not having tested his strength earlier, believing he could have achieved victory and secured a different outcome. He urges comfort, asking to be spared sad omens, and asserts that honour, not the symbol of a painted bird on a shield, drives his actions. It is a dramatic and rhetorical exploration of courage and destiny.