Gli è pur gionto

Marchetto Cara was a leading composer of the frottola, an important precursor to the Italian madrigal. Gli è pur gionto is a secular piece for four voices (ATTB) in the vernacular Italian. The text laments the arrival of an unhappy and cursed day, on which the singer must part from their beloved. Cara's setting captures the sorrowful mood of the words, with moments of intense feeling conveyed through careful word-painting and expressive harmonies. This is a poignant example of early Renaissance secular part-music, showing the developing interest in setting lyrical poetry to music.