Ego Flos Campi

Conductor Notes:

Double choir: SAT/SATB. We voiced Choir 1 with a smaller group of sopranos, alto 1s, and alto 2s singing in tenor range. For Choir 2, I assigned the top line to the Soprano 2s, the alto line to the Alto 1s, the tenor line to the Soprano 1s up the octave, and the bass line to the Alto 2s also sounding up one octave. We also used continuo and our two violinists were doubling various vocal lines. The 2:30 duration includes a repeat of the section that starts “Sicut malus” to the end.

Like Suplitia Cesis whose convent was less than 100 kilometers away, Aleotti represented the earlier end of the century of repertoire performed in Elektra’s Women of the Italian Baroque concert, and both her Ego flos campi and Surge, propera amica mea utilize the double-choir style popular at the time. With lots of homophony, this is one of the more approachable pieces in our concert.

Text

Ego flos campi et lilium convalium.
Sicut lilium inter spinas, sic amica mea inter filias.
Sicut malus inter ligna silvarum,
Sic dilectus meus interfilios.

Translation

As the lily among thorns,
so is my love among the daughters.
As the apple tree among the trees of the woods,
so is my beloved among the sons.