Fillida mia

Luca Marenzio's madrigal Fillida mia offers a delightful opportunity for a choir of SSAAT voices. This secular Italian part-song, typical of the Renaissance, paints a vivid picture of a beloved woman, Fillida, using comparisons to nature. She is described as whiter than privet, redder than a spring meadow, and more elusive than a deer. The text further emphasizes her haughtiness, comparing her unfavorably to the nymph Syrinx's transformation into reeds when pursued by Pan. The composer urges Fillida to scatter her golden hair to the wind, a plea fitting for a pastoral or celebratory occasion where such poetic imagery would resonate.