This edition was prepared by Mick Swithinbank — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
If silent, then grief torments me
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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If silent, then grief torments me by Alfonso Ferrabosco I — Lyrics
If silent, then grief torments me,
if I speak, your patience moveth.
Hating him that loveth, your wrath prevents me.
But when sweet hope appeareth,
my countenance it cheereth
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About If silent, then grief torments me
Alfonso Ferrabosco I's If silent, then grief torments me is a secular madrigal for SATTB voices, sung in English. The text explores a lover's dilemma: silence brings torment, but speaking provokes wrath. Only when hope appears can the speaker humbly plead for pity, hoping that their sad words will be received favourably, bringing joy rather than offence. Ferrabosco, an Italian composer who spent much of his career in England, was a significant figure in the development of the English madrigal. This setting masterfully captures the emotional nuances of the text, moving from distress to tentative hope.
