Gran miracol d'amore

Maddalena Casulana was one of the few female composers of the Italian Renaissance whose music survives today. A composer and performer, she published four collections of madrigals during her lifetime. Gran miracol d'amore is a five-voice madrigal from her first published book of 1566. The text explores the paradoxical nature of love, describing it as a miracle that both gives life and destroys it. The singers are called upon to express the torment and longing that the experience of love can bring, with the soul both enlivened and undone by its powerful emotions. This secular Italian part-music offers a rich opportunity for expressive ensemble singing.