Esperant d'avoir

The chansons of Geert van Turnhout offer a window into the secular music of the Renaissance. In Esperant d'avoir, the SAT choir sings in French of a lover's hopeful but unrewarded vigil. He waits at his beloved's door, hoping for some favour, but is sent away by the chaplain, told that her household is abed and charity is done for the day. The music, like the text, tells a story of yearning and gentle disappointment, capturing a moment of everyday life with elegant part-writing.