Mentre vaga Angioletta

Mentre vaga Angioletta
Ogni anima gentil cantando alletta,
Corre il mio core, e pende
Tutto dal suon del suo soave canto;
E non so come intanto
Musico spirto prende
Fauci canore, e seco forma e finge
Per non usata via
Garrula, e maestrevole armonia.
Tempra, d'arguto suon pieghevol voce,
E la volve, e la spinge
Con rotti accenti, e con ritorti giri
Qui tarda, e là veloce;
E tall'hor mormorando
In basso, e mobil suono, ed alternando
Fughe, e riposi, e placidi respiri,
Hor la sospende, e libra,
Hor la preme, hor la rompe, hor la raffrena;
Hor la saetta, e vibra,
Hor in giro la mena,
Quando con modi tremuli, e vaganti,
Quando fermi, e sonanti.
Così cantando e ricantando, il core,
O miracol d'amore,
E' fatto un usignolo,
E spiega già per non star mesto il volo.

Submitted by John Versmoren

Authorship

• by Giovanni Battista Guarini (1538 - 1612) [ author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by Claudio Monteverdi (1567 - 1643), "Mentre vaga Angioletta", published 1638 [chorus], from Libro VIII: Madrigali guerrieri e amorosi, no. 12, madrigal [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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