This edition was prepared by Allen Garvin — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Giunto a la tomba
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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8 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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Giunto a la tomba by Luca Marenzio — Lyrics
Giunto a la tomba ov' al suo spirto vivo
Dolorosa prigion il ciel prescrisse,
Di color, di calor, di moto privo
Già freddo marmo al marmo il volto affisse.
Al fin sgorgando un lagrimoso rivo,
In un languido oimè proruppe, e disse:
"O sasso amato tanto, amaro tanto,
Che dentr' hai le mie fiamme e fuori il pianto.
Non di morte sei tu, ma di vivaci
Ceneri albergo, ov' è nascosto amore,
Sento dal freddo tuo l'usate faci
Men dolci sì, ma non men cald' al core.
Deh' prendi i miei sospiri e questi baci,
Prendi, ch'io bagno di doglioso umore.
E dagli tu poich' io non posso, almeno,
All' amate reliquie, c'hai nel seno.
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About Giunto a la tomba
Luca Marenzio's Giunto a la tomba is a striking secular madrigal for SATTB voices. The text paints a poignant scene of a lover confronting the tomb of their beloved, lamenting the cold marble that holds them. The speaker addresses the tomb directly, pleading for it to accept their sighs and kisses, which they can no longer offer directly. This is not a simple expression of grief, but a complex meditation on love's enduring power even in the face of death. Marenzio’s music would surely reflect the emotional intensity and dramatic imagery of this Italian text, capturing the sorrow and devotion expressed by the poet.
