Il vago e liet' aspetto

Giovanni de Macque was a composer of the late Renaissance, known for his secular vocal music. This SSATTB madrigal, Il vago e lieto aspetto, is an example of the Italian madrigal tradition, a genre that flourished in the 16th and early 17th centuries. The text expresses the overwhelming effect of a beautiful and joyful appearance, which ignites the singer's breast with a sweet, living flame. The soul joyfully consumes itself in this loving fire, its life shortened by the intensity of passion. Macque's setting would have been intended for intimate performance by skilled amateur or professional singers, typical of the period's courtly and domestic musical life.