Hard by a fountain

Hubert Waelrant was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in Antwerp. This secular SATB setting of an English text exemplifies the madrigal tradition. The lyrics present a pastoral scene where the shepherd Damon laments the disdain of his beloved Daphne. His sorrowful complaints are met with a lighthearted, almost dismissive, refrain of 'Fa la la la la la' from the nymph. The music would typically reflect this contrast between Damon’s anguish and Daphne’s playful indifference, creating a miniature dramatic scena through vocal polyphony.