Composer

:

Thomas Morley

Genre

:

Choral

Compose Date

:

before 1595

Publication Date

:

1595

Average_duration

:

1:38

"Flora, wilt thou torment mee?" is a madrigal composed by Thomas Morley, an English composer, organist, and theorist of the Renaissance era. The piece was composed in the late 16th century, around 1595, and was first published in Morley's collection of madrigals, "The Triumphs of Oriana," in 1601. The madrigal is written for five voices, with the text taken from a poem by the Elizabethan poet, Thomas Nashe. The poem is a lament of unrequited love, with the speaker addressing Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, and asking her why she torments him with her beauty and refuses to return his love. The piece is divided into three movements, with each movement reflecting the changing emotions of the speaker. The first movement is slow and mournful, with the voices singing in a homophonic texture, emphasizing the text and the speaker's despair. The second movement is faster and more rhythmic, with the voices imitating each other and creating a lively, dance-like atmosphere. The third movement returns to the slow, mournful mood of the first, with the voices singing in a polyphonic texture, creating a rich and complex harmony. The characteristics of the piece reflect the style of the English madrigal, which was popular in the late Renaissance period. The madrigal is characterized by its use of word painting, where the music reflects the meaning of the text, and its use of chromaticism, where the music moves outside of the traditional diatonic scale. The piece also features a clear melody and a strong sense of harmony, with the voices blending together to create a rich and full sound. Overall, "Flora, wilt thou torment mee?" is a beautiful example of the English madrigal, showcasing Morley's skill as a composer and his ability to capture the emotions of the text through music.

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