Ch’io t’ami, Deh! bella e cara, and Ma tu, piu che mai dura,
By Claudio Monteverdi, from Book 5 of Madrigals. (For Cello Quintet. Duration 8-9 minutes.)

Ch’io t’ami (That I love you) is the first of three connected madrigals from Monteverdi’s 5th Book. This book was published in Venice in 1605. Its publication was preceded near the turn of that century by a bitter critical pushback against Monteverdi’s modern style and techniques, which were breaking with the established compositional practices. Monteverdi “took advantage of the freedom to use any musical means, be they traditional or newly invented, to illustrate the poetry, transforming it in both expressive and artistic terms.” (Longhini)

These madrigals don’t play themselves; that is, a certain degree of interpretive choice is called for, in dynamics, phrasing, and tempos. Those indications presented in this arrangement should only be considered suggestions and open to performers’ choices. A fine performance of these three madrigals by Concerto Italiano can be heard via this link:

Below is a (Google) translation of the texts, with corresponding bar numbers.

Ch’io t’ami 01-07:
That I love you, and love you more than my life,
07-10: if you don’t know, cruel one,
11-13: ask these forests, who will tell you,
14-17: if you don’t know, cruel one,
17-20: ask these forests, who will tell you,
20-28: as will the wild beasts and the hard stumps and stones
28-32: of these harsh mountains
33-40: I have so often moved with the sound of my laments,
41-48: I have so often moved with the sound of my laments.

Deh! bella e cara
49-51: Ah!, beautiful and dear
52-53: and so sweet once,
54-56: cause of my living, while it pleased heaven,
57-64: turn (to me) once more,
65-70: turn those lovely stars as I once beheld them, so calm
71-76: and full of pity, before I die, so that dying may be sweet to me.
77-79: It is only right that, if I once saw (in them)
80-81: sweet signs of life,
82-85: they should be now signs of death, those beautiful, loving eyes;
85-87: and that sweet look
88-90: that once led me to love,
91-93: (vc. 3,4,5) now leads me to death;
94-95: (vc.3): and that one who was my dawn
96-106: should be the evening star of my declining day.

Ma tu, piu che mai dura
107-111: But you, more hard than ever,
112-114: a single spark of pity you still don’t feel;
115-120: rather, you become harsher, the more I pray to you.
121-124: So, you don’t speak, though you hear me?
124-127: To whom do I speak, unhappily? To a silent stone?
140-143: If you tell me nothing else, at least say: “Die!”,
143-144: and you will see me die.
145-152: This is truly, Wicked Love, extreme misery,
153-157: that so unyielding a nymph should not answer me,
158-164: and withholding the weapon of one disdainful and cruel word,
164-169: refuse to grant me death,
169-173: refuse to grant me death,
173-181: refuse to grant me death.