Fair Orian, in the morn

This delightful madrigal for SSATTB voices opens with a gentle, flowing melodic line, evoking the tranquil dawn. The texture gradually builds, with the voices interweaving to create rich harmonic colours. The English text paints a serene picture of the nymph Orian (Oriana) stepping out in the early morning, her presence so light that she leaves no trace. The shepherds and nymphs, waking to her call, sing their praises in a joyous final section. John Milton the Elder, a composer of the English Renaissance, crafts a charming pastoral scene, characteristic of the era's secular part-music, in this setting of anonymous lyrics.