Philippe Verdelot: Italia mia (Petrarch), Voices of Music 4K UHD video.

Verdelot’s setting of Petrarch’s “Italia mia“, one of the finest of the early 16th century madrigals. Live, 4K video from our Leonardo da Vinci: a musical Odyssey concert in San Francisco, performed by the Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Stefanie True, soprano; Deborah Rentz-Moore, mezzo soprano; Malachai Bandy, Adaiha MacAdam-Somer & Elisabeth Reed, viols. The first decade of the 16th century saw the French composer Verdelot in Florence and Rome, where he was instrumental in the development of the Italian madrigal. Verdelot also collaborated with Niccolò Machiavelli for his comedies. Verdelot’s style consists of points of imitation alternating with homophonic passages in a clear and graceful style; his works were greatly admired and widely imitated throughout the 16th century. In his poem Italia mia, Petrarch bitterly laments the folly of war and ends with an appeal for truth and peace. Text (Canzoniere, CXXVII) Italia mia, benché’l parlar sia indarno