Donna per acquetar vostro desire

Andrea Gabrieli’s five-part madrigal opens with a rich, imitative texture, the voices of the SATTB choir weaving together to create a warm sonority. The Italian text expresses the singer’s deep longing for his beloved’s desire to be calmed, even to the point of finding comfort in death if it would bring her peace. He yearns for her to witness his demise and weep for him, suggesting that such a resolution would bring him contentment. The music reflects the poignancy of the text, with moments of both soaring melody and tender reflection, characteristic of the secular part-music of the Italian Renaissance.