Ardo sì ma non t'amo

Orazio Vecchi was a prolific composer of the late Renaissance, known for his madrigals and a pioneering figure in the development of comic opera. This SSATTB madrigal, Ardo sì ma non t'amo, is a secular Italian work that sets a text by Guarini. The lyrics express a complex emotional state: the singer burns with passion, but not for the object of their affection, whom they describe as perfidious and heartless. The text rejects the idea of being 'worthily loved' by such a loyal lover. The singer asserts that their heart is now healed and any burning they feel is from disdain, not love, resolving no longer to boast of their sorrow.