Choir singing Baci soavi e cari 140928_0418.wav

A beautiful baroque (1618) five voice choir singing a 'canzone' (an Italian poem) in a church in the Netherlands.

“Baci soavi e cari” was written when Monteverdi was just 19. A typical madrigal "kissing and dying" theme. The text is from a canzone (a lyric Italian poem) by the poet Giambattista Guarini (1538–1612), a famous contemporary of Monteverdi.

Itaian text
Baci soavi e cari,
cibi della mia vita
c'hor m'inviolate’or mi rendete il core.
Per voi convien ch'impari
come un'alma rapita
non sente il duol di mort'e pur si more.
Quant'ha di dolce amore,
perché sempr'io vi baci,
O dolcissime rose,
in voi tutto ripose.
Et s'io potessi ai vostri dolci baci
la mia vita finire
o che dolce morire !

English translation
Sweet and dear kisses,
sustenance of my life,
which now steal away, now give back my heart
for your sake I must learn
how a stolen heart
feels no pain of dying and yet dies.
All that is sweet in love,
whenever I kiss you,
oh sweetest roses,
resides in you.
And if I could, with your sweet kisses,
end my life—
oh what a sweet death!

Dutch translation
Zoete en dierbare kussen,
Voedsel dat mij in leven houdt–
Nu eens nemen jullie me mijn hart af,
dan weer geven jullie het me terug.
Omwille van jullie moet ik leren
Hoe een ziel in verrukking niet de pijn voelt van de dood,
maar toch sterft.
Er is zoveel zoete liefde dat ik je eeuwig kan blijven kussen,
O, zoetste aller rozen,
waarin altijd alles rust;
en als ik mijn leven kon eindigen met je zoete kussen,
wat een zoete dood zou dat zijn!

Recorded Sunday September 2014 by klankbeeld in the Sint Lambertus-church (Sint Lambertuskerk), Sint Lambertusweg, Gemonde, Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands (Holland), maps: 51.619921, 5.357023
Gear chain: Rode NT4 XY in Rode Blimp > Sound Devices 302 >Tascam dr-100 Mk2.

Choir is Capella Ducis.
Organ Axel Wenstedt, Cello Angela Heetvelt, members of Scordatura.

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