Già l'hora è tarda

Gioseppe Caimo's Già l'hora è tarda is a secular canzonetta for SATB voices. The Italian text speaks of the late hour, with stars fading and dawn appearing, signaling that it is time to rest. The singer bids farewell to a proud, beautiful light, addressing their coachman to depart. Caimo was a composer of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, working in a style often characterized by its lightness and charm, and this work fits well within that tradition of intimate, often word-driven vocal chamber music.