Dolci sospiri

Simone Molinaro’s Dolci sospiri is a secular canzonetta for three voices, SAT. The music opens with the interplay of the voices, depicting the bittersweet nature of love. The Italian text speaks of sweet sighs and tortures, of appeals for mercy, and the pain inflicted by two bright stars, ‘more beautiful than the sun’, whose sharp arrows strike the singer’s breast. Yet these wounds, though mortal, are also sustained by sweet hope. The singer implores these lovely lights to continue their assault, finding both torment and contentment in their power. The heart is urged to stand firm against this loving battle, never fleeing the arrows of sweet woe.