Lamento – Lagrime mie, a che vi trattente? Diporti d’Euterpe Op.7

Euterpe, the
‘giver of delight’, was the Greek muse of music and lyrical poetry. It is no
coincidence that the title of Strozzi’s Opus 7, published in Venice in 1659,
bears her name. The collection is dedicated to Nicolò Sagredo, the procurator
of St. Marks Cathedral and future Doge of Venice. The text of Lagrime mie is written by the Venetian
nobleman, poet and librettist Pietro Dolfino, although his reputation as a poet
relies chiefly on Strozzi’s musical settings.

Strozzi’s powerful
lament is exceptionally expressive and immediately dispels any preconceptions
of passive female sentiments. The intense jarring harmonies and bold florid
melodic line that opens the work are certainly influenced by the Turkish
presence in Venice during the 1650s. Through clever inventiveness and bold use
of unconventional formal solutions in the setting of the text, Strozzi manages
to create her own interactive musical drama between the Orient and Occident.
Although Lagrime Mie is written for a
soprano voice, the words are those of a man, the tormented poet weeping over
his lost love. Throughout the work, the opening refrain of falling tears
returns, interspersed with arioso and bel canto sections expressing anger,
melancholy and sometimes even a glimmer of hope.