Dolor ch'hai fatto

Imagine a scene of heartfelt lament, perhaps at a gathering of friends or family, where a deep sorrow needs to be expressed. Jacquet de Berchem’s Dolor ch’hai fatto, for SATB choir, offers a powerful outlet for such emotion. This secular Italian madrigal, from the Renaissance, explores the anguish of unrequited love. The text poignantly describes pain taking up residence in the singer's heart and begs it to leave, to reveal the singer’s woes to the cruel beloved. It pleads either for her mercy and aid, or for death to release the singer from this bitter existence. The intricate vocal interplay typical of the madrigal genre will lend a dramatic intensity to this moving plea.