Along with the opera La Galatea, thirty solo songs make up the surviving musical output of the Roman composer, singer, and writer Loreto Vittori (1600–1670). All of the songs are for solo soprano voice and continuo. Most come from two printed sources: Vincenzo Bianchi’s collection Raccolta d’arie spirituali of 1640 and Vittori’s own Arie a voce sola of 1649. Three songs are in manuscript. The texts of the twenty-five songs in the 1649 collection are all on secular themes, ranging from lengthy lamenti through works of increasing brevity and a more lighthearted mood, ending with a bit of “to-hell-with-it-all” doggerel. The subject matter tends to focus on a few topoi: images of flying, such as flying sighs, thoughts, butterflies, and glowworms; the river or stream as a metaphor for “from the cradle to the grave”; and the ubiquitous haughty, unresponsive love object and the suffering, faithful lover. The god of love also hovers over many of these texts as one who wounds, destroys, but is nevertheless constantly invoked for aid. Although many of the texts are attributed to Vittori himself, a few are by other poets such as Torquato Tasso and Domenico Benigni.

Contents

Songs from Raccolta d’arie spirituali (1640)

Questo che langue

Io piango il fallir mio

Songs in Manuscript

All’armi, o mio core

Così cruda e così fiera

Ecco ch’io verso il sangue

Arie a voce sola (1649)

1. Lamento della prencipessa di Tunisi

2. L’amante prigioniero

3. Geloso amante

4. Simil’a te son’io

5. Fiumicello

6. Su, d’amor

7. Fatto segno

8. Vola sospiro

9. Presso un rio

10. Vedermi fra catene

11. Torna indietro

12. Ritornate

13. Vola, vola luccioletta

14. Dove voli, farfalletta?

15. Partir mi conviene

16. Saziati pur, crudele

17. Quel turco d’amore

18. In somma io non son più

19. Mi vedrete morir

20. Per viver lieto amando

21. Amanti a consiglio!

22. Mi predice il ciel

23. Care amate pupille

24. In amor, che stravaganza

25. Chi vuol provare