Donna se questo core

This canzonetta for two sopranos and tenor opens with a lively interplay between the voices, mirroring the text's passionate plea. Giovanni Croce sets an Italian secular poem where the speaker questions his beloved's cruel indifference. He argues that her rejection causes him suffering, but ultimately hurts her too, as love itself is wounded by such cruelty. The music reflects the poem's direct address and emotional intensity, with moments of imitative writing and clear melodic lines. The composer uses the intimate voicing to explore the pain and confusion of unrequited love, as the speaker laments that his beloved lives while he alone must die.