Telman Guzhevsky, Amarilli by G. Caccini.

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Tenor Telman Guzhevsky sings Amarilli by F. Caccini. Oleg Zhukov, piano. www.telmanguzhevsky.com

Aria by Giulio Caccini, Amarilli - one of the famous madrigal songs

Amarilli, mia bella,
Non credi, o del mio cor dolce desio,
D’esser tu l’amor mio?
Credilo pur, e se timor t’assale
Dubitar non ti vale
Aprimi il petto e vedrai scritto il core:
Amarilli è il mio amore.

Amarilli, lovely Amarilli
Believest thee not, oh my heart's sweet desire
tis thou my heart aspires?
Believe, tis true: yet should a dread besiege thee
doubt not, tis vane
rip my bosom open, and there inscribed you'll see
Amarilli, Amarilli, Amaraillys
My sweetest love art thee

(Translation credit CPDL, Choral Wiki)

Written before the development of the pianoforte (which was invented around 1700), “Amarilli, mia bella” was meant to be accompanied by the lute, which lends it a particularly intimate and hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. Securing its place among the collection of the 24 antique Italian arias, the song is the oldest of them. The words “Prendi questo mie strale (take one of my arrows), replaced later with "Dubitar non ti vale", evoke an earlier time of people using bows and arrows.