L'heureux soucy

Pierre de Villiers's L'heureux soucy is a secular French chanson for STTB voices. It belongs to the rich tradition of Renaissance part-music where secular songs explored the complexities of human emotion. The text, in French, speaks of a happy anxiety, born from desired longing, that encloses love and brings loyal fear. The singer laments that this feeling, which holds the hope of happiness, is extinguished by love itself, leading to torment. While living, the singer experiences both sadness and pleasure, as love laughs at their unheeded pleas. The setting captures the interplay of these contrasting sentiments, typical of the genre.