Dur acier et diamant

Clément Janequin's Dur acier et diamant is a secular chanson for SATB choir, perfect for bringing a Renaissance programme to life. The text opens with a stark reflection on the transience of all earthly things – steel, diamond, even the sky and stars – all destined to turn to dust. Yet, after contemplating the eventual drying up of the seas and the inevitable change brought by time, the poem offers a surprisingly intimate and optimistic conclusion. It poses a rhetorical question about what will endure, only to answer it with a declaration of the everlasting nature of true friendship. This striking contrast between cosmic destruction and personal devotion makes for a text that is both profound and charmingly direct, typical of the chansons of the period.