I remember first hearing this piece in my undergraduate music history courses. It was quickly glossed over by my professor as an example of Baroque aria, but when he played it, I jumped! My guess is that many people may have had a similar experience, so I want to provide the opportunity to revisit this one.
There are hundreds of recordings of this piece, but one of my particular favorites is this one.
A Brief Overview of Strozzi
Strozzi was an Italian singer and song writer in Venice. Her origins are unclear, though the prevailing thought is that she was the illegitimate daughter of the poet and librettist Giulio Strozzi. During her lifetime, she was considered to be the most prolific composer in Venice of secular vocal music, with the majority of her works being published during her lifetime.
Her output is unique in that it consisted almost entirely of secular song for soprano, though she has a set of sacred songs. It remains unclear if she specifically wrote for other voices or if they were later transcribed.
A bit about the piece
The title translates to "tears of mine" and a sort of asymmetrical madrigal with inconsistent syllable patterns that help distort any discernible rhyme scheme. What I really enjoy about this piece is that it is a real song. It has a freedom that lends itself to actual singing, and requires the singer to use their voice to move the piece along. More striking, though, is that the entire setting seems quite unpolished, like it has been out exposed to the elements rather than carefully manicured to fit in a nice little parlor box. It is not your typical song from the Baroque era, and for that it should be praised!