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.

9. Dice la mia bellissima Licori is a duet for two tenors, The title translates as "My beautiful Licori says" the text is about a girl, obviously reluctant to be kissed, but eventually won over.

I decided to use two euphoniums/baritones for the soloists, with the accompaniment managed by 2 cornets/trumpets, a horn and a tuba.

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.