O Lacrimae Amare

Conductor Notes:

This beautiful piece, sung in Italian to a poem whose source is not indicated, is by the last-born of the women composers featured in our March 2020 Women of the Italian Baroque concert. The record of her musical output in a short life of 35 years in Pavia gives us only one book of ten motets and two works for solo voice and two violins. To put her in a chronological context, Meda was born 22 years after Monteverdi died and 13 years before Vivaldi was born.

This dramatic, almost secular text with its many references to natural phenomena, was in stark contrast to the other works on our concert. Word-painting abounds. The four-part texture plus continuo is written as SATB. I assigned it with S2 singing the soprano line, A1 on the alto line, S1 on the tenor line up an octave, and A2 on the bass line sung up the octave. If you have soprano and alto soloists, this work accommodates one or two of each with major solos. Note that I have an alternate word underlay for the “Fugate” solo that helps with breath. Ask if you’d like to see that.

Text

O lacrimae amarae,
et quando sperate
pensate fugere a me.

In silva umbrosa in aqua undosa,
in mare turbato sepulta nunc vivo.
Fugite catene longe tormenta,
pene cessate venite contenta,
candide rose et lilia grata
non state morose,
pandite vaga.

Jucunde stelle sidera amena,
spendete serena
fugate tormenta,
vos oro fugite non date venena
dum pandite vaga
splendete serena.

O me infaelix
dum vivo turbata
in dura quiete,
in pace molesta.

Deh, porte gemmate
ostia grata
state aperta
no, non state serrata,
caeli stelle care faville
splendete vos belle vaghe scintille.

Aule Paradisi,
aure illibate,
non consolate si me turbate,
no estis grate si non amo te.

Candidi caeli zeffiri ameni
spirate vos soli
venite tranquilli,
dum vivo respiro
sperando non spiro.

Translation

O bitter tears,
Even when you hope,
Think of fleeing from me.

In the shady wood, in the watery waves,
In the rough sea, I now live buried.
Feel the chains of long torments.
Cease the pains and come happily;
Pale roses and welcome irises,
Do not dally,
Spread far and wide.

Delightful stars, pleasant constellations,
Shine serenely,
Flee torments,
I pray you to flee, do no dispense poisons,
While you spread far and wide
Shine serenely.

O wretched me,
I live still perturbed
In harsh tranquility,
In bothersome peace.

Oh, bejeweled doors,
Welcome host,
Stay open,
Do not close shut.
Stars of the heaven, dear twinkles,
Shine, you beautiful, lovely sparks.

O Courts of paradise,
Pure breezes,
You do not console me if you disturb me.
You are not welcome if I do not love you.

Pale heavens, pleasant breezes,
You alone sigh,;
Come tranquilly,
For as long as I live, I breathe,
Hoping, I do not die.