Arde l'Idolo mio

This secular Italian madrigal by Giovanni Francesco Anerio expresses a lover's ardent desire, which is met with a heart of cold marble. The text laments the beloved's lack of pity, warning that if they desire compassion in return, they must first show it themselves. The five-part SSATB setting captures the emotional intensity of the Renaissance genre, with the polyphonic lines weaving together to underscore the speaker's pleas and the cruel indifference of their beloved.