This edition was prepared by Allen Garvin — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
La bell'Alba sorgea
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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La bell'Alba sorgea by Giovanni Gastoldi — Lyrics
La bell'Alba sorgea,
tutta lieta e ridente,
all'aurato balcon dell'Oriente;
E già di più colori
il ciel tutto d'intorno dipingea,
mentre per quel spargea
vermigli e bianchi fiori.
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About La bell'Alba sorgea
Giovanni Gastoldi was a prolific composer of secular part-music in the late Renaissance. La bell'Alba sorgea is a fine example of the Italian madrigal, written for SSATB voices. The text paints a vivid picture of dawn breaking over the horizon, with the sky beautifully coloured and the earth adorned with flowers. However, this idyllic scene is shattered as Love, hidden among the bushes and roses, suddenly pierces the narrator's heart with a thousand arrows. The poem expresses the pain of this unexpected attack, questioning why Love would strike when the sky is so serene.
