Amour me poingt

This chanson by Claudin de Sermisy sets a poignant French poem about unrequited love. The singer laments that speaking of his pain only doubles it, and that he is left without hope. He concludes that it is better to die in silence, for death is sweet if it can extinguish sorrow. The SATB setting captures the text’s emotional intensity with clear, elegant part-writing characteristic of the French Renaissance chanson. It is an ideal choice for choirs seeking to explore secular polyphony from this era, offering a beautiful and expressive challenge.