Donna la bella

This secular Italian madrigal for SATT voices, Donna la bella, is a delightful example of Renaissance part-music. It playfully explores the theme of love as a theft, with the beloved's hand, offered as a gift, becoming a tool for a more profound capture. The composer, Marco Antonio de Pordenon, crafts a setting that mirrors the text's witty conceit, where each act of giving is a prelude to a greater taking. A choir could present this piece as part of a programme of lighthearted Renaissance secular music, perhaps for a spring concert or a gathering celebrating courtly love and its charming deceptions.