Ich schall mein Horn ins Jammertal

This German secular madrigal for SSAT voices opens with a forthright statement of intent, calling out into the valley of sorrow. The composer Melchior Franck portrays a huntsman lamenting lost joy and the elusive nature of his quarry. The text uses the metaphor of hunting for a noble stag to describe a thwarted pursuit of a beloved, and the singer who was once the hunter now wishes the quarry well, releasing it to another. The music reflects the text's blend of frustration and resignation, with intricate part-writing giving way to moments of poignant expressiveness as the hunt is abandoned.