Asia felice

This Italian madrigal by Andrea Gabrieli expresses profound joy at overcoming enemies and anticipates a future of friendship and abundance. The speaker exults in personal victory at sea, and then envisions Africa flourishing with fruit and flowers, and the Nile bringing silver waves to the sea. Europe, too, will find renewed glory under a true God, regaining dominion over the world. The text speaks of hard-won peace and burgeoning prosperity across continents. Scored for double choir (SSAT, ATBB), the work’s rich vocal textures would have been ideal for conveying these grand sentiments in the polyphonic style of the late Renaissance.