D'où vient cela

Claudin de Sermisy's chanson D'où vient cela is written for four voices in the lower registers of STTB. The voices engage in imitative counterpoint, but with a prevailing homophonic clarity that emphasizes the declamation of the French text. The composer's setting captures the plaintive mood of the lyric, which questions a beloved's withdrawal of affection. The singer, filled with sadness, implores his lady to reveal the reason for her silence, suspecting he is no longer favored or that she has found a new love. This is a fine example of the secular chanson in the high Renaissance.