This edition was prepared by Willem Verkaik — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Ergasto mio
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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Ergasto mio by Ruggiero Giovannelli — Lyrics
1. Ergasto mio, perchè solingo, e tacito
Pensar ti veggio? oimè, che mal si lassano
Le pecorelle andare a lor ben placito,
Vedi quelle che 'l rio varcando passano,
Vedi que' duo monton, che insieme corrono,
Come in un tempo per urtar s'abbassano.
2. Vedi ch'al vincitor tutte soccorrono,
E vannogli da tergo, e'l vitto scacciano,
E con sembianti schivi ogn'or l'abborrono.
E fai ben tu, che i lupi (ancor che tacciano)
Fan le gran prede, e i can dormendo stannosi,
Però che i lor pastor non vi 's impacciano.
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About Ergasto mio
This setting of Petrarch's sonnet by Ruggiero Giovannelli opens with a gentle, imitative texture, the voices weaving around each other to depict the shepherd's solitude. The music effectively mirrors the pastoral imagery of the text, moving from the shepherd's quiet contemplation to the more dramatic depiction of straying sheep and predatory wolves. Giovannelli's SATB madrigal uses the Italian language to portray the shepherd's concern for his flock and the changing seasons, with flowing melodic lines and moments of contrapuntal interest. It is a fine example of secular Renaissance part-music, capturing both the beauty of the Italian countryside and the emotional undercurrents of the poem.
