Di tempo in tempo mi si fa

A fine example of secular Renaissance part-music, this Italian madrigal by Cipriano de Rore sets a Petrarchan sonnet expressing the lover's changing emotional state. As time passes, the beloved's angelic presence and sweet smile become less harsh, and her features less obscured. The singer questions his sighs, once born of pain, which now seem to signify a life of anguish. Yet, when his face turns towards her, Love itself seems to offer solace. Despite this, his inner turmoil is not yet ended; the more hope reassures him, the more his desire burns. This SATB setting is ideal for a choir seeking expressive, text-driven Renaissance repertoire.