This edition was prepared by Gerhard Weydt — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Hor che'l ciel e la terra
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
Preview
0
0
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
Hor che'l ciel e la terra by Philippe de Monte — Lyrics
Or che 'l ciel et la terra e 'l vento tace
et le fere e gli augelli il sonno affrena,
Notte il carro stellato in giro mena
et nel suo letto il mar senz'onda giace,
veggio, penso, ardo, piango; et chi mi sface
sempre m'è inanzi per mia dolce pena:
guerra è 'l mio stato, d'ira et di duol piena,
et sol di lei pensando ò qualche pace.
Read full lyrics
About Hor che'l ciel e la terra
Philippe de Monte's Hor che 'l ciel e la terra is a sophisticated example of the secular Italian madrigal from the Renaissance. Scored for SSATTB voices, this a cappella work masterfully sets a Petrarchan sonnet exploring intense personal emotion. The text paints a picture of a silent, sleeping world at night, a stark contrast to the inner turmoil of the speaker. He describes a state of constant conflict: 'war is my state, full of anger and grief,' finding paradoxical peace only in thoughts of his beloved. The composer's setting reflects this duality, with moments of exquisite beauty mirroring the 'sweet and bitter' sensations and the constant cycle of 'dying and being born a thousand times a day' as the speaker longs for solace.
