Amor poi che non vuole

Luca Marenzio was a celebrated composer of madrigals in the late sixteenth century. This secular Italian work, Amor poi che non vuole, is written for SSAAT voices. The text expresses the composer's frustration that his beloved forbids him to speak of his joy, and he appeals to Love itself to tell of his happiness, lamenting that the sun has never seen a happier man. He questions who has ever held a more beautiful hand or kissed sweeter lips, feeling he might die because he cannot express his feelings. The music would have originally been performed by a small vocal ensemble in a domestic or courtly setting, typical of the madrigal tradition.