O Mio Cor from Arie Musicali per cantarsi

In
1628, after several highly successful years as organist at St.
Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Frescobaldi upped his whole family and
moved to Florence. It is suspected that it was at the wish of
Ferdinand II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who had travelled to Rome to
hear Frescobaldi play earlier that year. It was while in Florence
that Frescobaldi wrote and published his two volumes of vocal music
entitled Arie
Musicali per cantarsi,
which he dedicated to the Duke, and from which today’s songs are
taken. Although Frescobaldi’s renown as a composer primarily stems
from his influential and substantial works for keyboard instruments,
there are never the less some small gems to be found among his vocal
compositions, which show Frescobaldi’s obvious talent in the
dramatic aspects of writing for the voice. Despite the carefree
strophic melody, O
mio cor is a
plaintive farewell bidding to a lover, carefully structured so as to
avoid the possibility of an emotional outburst on behalf of the
betrayed.