Candido e vago fiore

The poet addresses a bright and lovely flower, plucked by the hand of a peerless beauty. He implores the flower not to languish when separated from his lady, but rather to temper its departure by having aided the most perfect lover, who adores his lady's divine eyes. Cipriano de Rore's SATTB madrigal captures this Petrarchan sentiment with expressive vocal writing. The composer's skill in setting the Italian text is evident, creating a rich sound world for this secular Renaissance part-music. The lush five-part texture allows for intricate interplay and a sensitive musical unfolding of the poem's delicate conceit.