Ex. 4-2: Le Violette

An aria from Alessandro Scarlatti's opera "Il Pirro e Demetrio" (Pyrrhus and Demetrius, 1694), with a libretto by Adriano Morselli. Mario, a young shepherd, is in love with a noblewoman. He speaks to the violets hiding shyly among the leaves. Their modesty seems to scold him for setting his hopes too high.

The voice repeats the melodies first played in the instrumental opening, as if voice and instruments were chasing each other. It is one of the most widely sung Italian art songs. It appears in nearly every edition of the standard Italian song anthology and is widely used in vocal training around the world.

Track 1 from the album Icon: Elly Ameling by Elly Ameling and Dalton Baldwin (2002)
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