This edition was prepared by André Vierendeels — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Dolce mia pastorella
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
Preview
0
0
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
Dolce mia pastorella by Luca Marenzio — Lyrics
Dolce mia pastorella,
che si leggiadra e bella,
ten voli a gl'occhi miei
perche cruda mi sei,
deh, basciami ben mio,
ch'altro da te, non bramo e non desio.
Dolce vezzosa e cara
che del mio ben avara,
ten fuggi s'io ti miro,
ond' io piango e sospiro,
deh non voler o mamma,
che mi consum'il cor l'ardente fiamma.
Read full lyrics
About Dolce mia pastorella
Luca Marenzio's Dolce mia pastorella paints a vivid scene of a shepherdess, praised for her beauty and grace. The composer sets the Italian text with a soaring SSB voicing, capturing the lament of a suitor who feels his beloved is cruelly distant. He yearns for a kiss, his sole desire, and pleads with her not to be stingy with her affections, lest he be consumed by the flames of love. The text continues to express the pain of her flight when he looks at her, leading to sighs and tears. He implores her not to let his heart burn away, a sentiment that echoes through the subsequent verses. Even when she gathers flowers, attended by cupids, and adorns her hair, he begs for a single kind glance, which would send him happily to his demise, finding paradise in death for her sake. This is a secular Italian madrigal of exquisite tenderness and longing.
