At long last I have nearly finished the 7th book. This book has posed some issues as it is such complex music it is almost impossible to cut it down to 5 parts while maintaining its integrity. As a result, some songs will be in 6 or more parts.

Ai lume delle stelle is a song of loss. By the light of the stars, Tirsi bemoans the loss of his beloved whose eyes were like flickering stars or torches flickering in the night.

This setting is for an expanded ensemble of 8 players as follows:

Part 1 in Bb - Trumpet/Cornet 1 Part 2 in Bb - Trumpet/Cornet 2 Part 3 in F/C/Bb/Eb - Horn/Euphonium/Trombone/Baritone Part 4 in C/Eb/Bb - Euphonium/Baritone/Trombone/Tuba/Eb Bass Part 5 in Bb - Trumpet/Cornet 3 Part 6 in Bb/F/Eb - Trumpet/Cornet/Horn Part 7 in C/F/Bb - Trombone/Horn/Euphonium Part 8 in C/Eb - Tuba/Eb Bass

The seventh book is quite a change from the earlier ones. Monteverdi seems to be concentrating on developing solos and duets, trios and small accompanied ensembles. The accompaniments are often written out with more than just long note chords. The intricate instrumental parts are more than just filling in the harmony (hence the difficulty in paring them down.)

Once again, these songs are exquisitely crafted and travel well onto brass.