Ergasto tu che l'hai

Ruggiero Giovannelli composed this secular Italian madrigal for SSATTTB voices. The text describes a hunting scene, with the hunter Ergasto urged to sound his horn to summon the dogs. The dogs are called, and although some appear wounded, it is revealed they have only superficial scratches. The mood then shifts to a more pastoral reflection on a cruel shepherdess, compared to various wild animals, who flees her lover and causes him to suffer. Giovannelli captures the dramatic shifts in the text through his music, likely employing the rich texture of the eight-part choir to depict both the excitement of the hunt and the poignancy of unrequited love.