Fuggi dunque fugace

The Italian composer Giovanni Artusi wrote this SSAT canzonetta for four voices. Its opening phrases invite the listener into a contrapuntal texture where the voices weave together with agility, reflecting the text's theme of swift escape. The Italian lyric speaks of fleeing, but paradoxically finds peace in this departure, suggesting that the lover does not intend to cause pain by leaving, nor to strip away the power of Cupid. Artusi's setting captures this playful yet poignant sentiment with a lively and engaging musicality, characteristic of the canzonetta genre, which often favoured lighter, more homophonic textures interspersed with moments of imitative writing.