Il dolce mormorio

Antonio il Verso was a composer of the Italian Renaissance. Il dolce mormorio is a secular madrigal for SSATB voices, written in Italian. The text evokes a gentle, murmuring brook, comparing its sound to the whispers of playful Loves and the sighing of a warm breeze. Birds are heard singing sweetly, sporting around a pretty flower, and the poet concludes that Love itself lives here. The music would have been intended for intimate, domestic performance, characteristic of the madrigal tradition.