Ex. 4-1: Amore è bandito (edited)

No. 7 from Strozzi's Ariette a voce sola (Op. 6), published in 1657. Original scoring is for soprano and basso continuo.

Strozzi published eight volumes of vocal music — more than most male composers of her time in Venice. Her father was the poet Giulio Strozzi. He adopted her, though he was probably her real father. Giulio founded the Accademia degli Unisoni, a society of intellectuals in Venice, where Barbara performed as a singer.

The song jokingly announces that Love has been banished. Each of the four verses lists what was driven out along with Love: deception, jealousy, madness, sighs, and suffering. Each verse has a refrain that begins with laughter — "ah, ah!" The last verse declares victory: now that Love is gone, even Death has been sent away too. A comic tone unusual among Baroque vocal works.

The piano accompaniment in this edition was realized by Luigi Torchi (1858–1920) from the original basso continuo.

Note: Repeats have been omitted. The melody has been removed from the piano accompaniment. The tempo has been reduced from the original for sight-singing practice.

Track 8 from the album Barbara Strozzi: Songs by Glenda Simpson and Camerata of London (1989)
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