Felici e liete piagge

Orazio Vecchi's Felici e liete piagge is a secular Italian madrigal for eight voices, SSAT-SSTB. The text paints a vivid picture of the poet's beloved's surroundings – her happy shores, the strands that tie her hair, and the flowers adorning her breast. He implores these elements of nature to speak on his behalf, to convey the acuteness of his suffering and the cruelty of his fate. The composer's music would have sought to capture the emotional intensity of this plea, reflecting the humanistic ideals of the madrigal tradition. This is part-music for voices alone.