This edition was prepared by Ulrich Alpers — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Che fai alma
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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Che fai alma by Baldassare Donato — Lyrics
Che fai alma? che pensi? havrem mai pace?
havrem mai tregua? od havrem guerra eterna?Che fia di noi, non so; ma in quel ch'io scerna,
a suoi begli occhi il mal nostro non piace.Che pro, se con quelli occhi ella ne face
di state un ghiaccio, un foco quando inverna?Ella non, ma colui che gli governa.Questo ch'è a noi, s'ella s'el vede, e tace?Tal hor tace la lingua, e 'l cor si lagna
ad alta voce, e 'n vista asciutta e lieta,
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About Che fai alma
Baldassare Donato's Che fai alma is a secular Italian madrigal for SSAATTB voices. The text, taken from Petrarch's Canzoniere, opens with the soul questioning whether it will ever find peace or face eternal war. The composer captures the lyrical angst with soaring, imitative vocal lines. The music responds to the text's emotional shifts, from the perceived coldness of the beloved's eyes in summer to the burning passion of winter. Despite outward appearances of joy, the inner heart laments, and the mind finds no solace, unable to believe in hope when overwhelmed by sorrow. Donato's setting vividly portrays this complex emotional landscape through the intricate interplay of six vocal parts.
