Fiammegiavano in ciel

Hans Leo Hassler was a significant figure in the transition between Renaissance and early Baroque music. This SSATTB madrigal, Fiammeggiavano in ciel, is a superb example of the secular part-music tradition of the era. The Italian text paints a vivid nocturnal scene, with stars and the moon shining brightly. However, the arrival of dawn, and then the sun, gradually obscures them. The poet then compares his beloved, whose appearance outshines all these celestial bodies, to the sun itself. She has the power to banish darkness and, like the sun, can be momentarily obscured, yet ultimately triumphs over all, embodying rare and unique graces bestowed upon a mortal form.