Ecco fuor di stagion

Antonio Cifra's Ecco fuor di stagion is a secular Italian madrigal for SSATB voices. The music opens with imitative entries, creating a rich texture that gradually blossoms. The text describes a scene of natural beauty, with birdsong and the appearance of a rose. However, the poet then reveals that this beauty is not due to the season, but to the presence of their beloved, the 'sun' who brings spring wherever they go. Cifra's setting captures this shift, moving from descriptive passages to a more intensely expressive depiction of the beloved's influence.