Caccini: Le nuove musiche

Caccini's Le nuove musiche of 1602—a collection of twelve madrigals, ten airs, and a setting of the final chorus from Chiabrera's Il rapimento di Cefalo—has come to be the very symbol of the new musical era of the seventeenth century. His prefatory discourse "to the readers," a meaty essay on the ideals and techniques of early baroque song and singing style, is included here in an annotated English translation.

 

This second edition, prepared with the blessing of the late Dr. Hitchcock, not only corrects the few infelicities found in the first edition, but also includes more dramatic revisions to a few aspects of the editorial methodology (especially pertaining to the basso continuo line and the treatment of accidentals). The attributions for the poetic texts of the madrigals and airs have also been updated based on current scholarship, and there are many superficial changes to the book design and layout.

Madrigals

  1. Movetevi à pietà

  2. Queste lagrim’amare

  3. Dolcissimo sospiro

  4. Amor, io parto

  5. Non più guerra

  6. Perfidissimo volto

  7. Vedrò ’l mio sol

  8. Amarilli mia bella

  9. Sfogava con le stelle

  10. Fortunato augellino

  11. Dovrò dunque morire

  12. Filli, mirando il cielo

 

Final Chorus from Il rapimento di Cefalo

  Ineffabile ardore

  Muove si dolce

  Caduca fiamma

  Qual trascorrendo

  Quand’il bell’anno primavera infiora

 

Airs

  1. Io parto, amati lumi

  2. Ardi, cor mio

  3. Ard'il moi petto misero

  4. Fere selvaggie

  5. Fillide mia

  6. Udite, udite, amanti

  7. Occh’immortali

  8. Odi, Euterpe

  9. Belle rose porporine

  10. Chi mi confort’ahimè