Far potess'io vivace

Giovanni Andrea Dragoni's madrigal for SATB voices sets a poignant Italian text by Jacomo Sannazaro. The poet expresses a fervent wish to transform himself into a living spring, watering the hills with his tears and warming the air with his sighs. He longs to plead with heaven to grant this metamorphosis, so that he might forever flow, untouched by frost or ice. This secular piece from the Renaissance era vividly captures the intense emotional landscape of its time, showcasing the expressive potential of word-painting within the intricate vocal writing characteristic of the madrigal tradition.