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. Ah, che non si conviene a6 is a duet for two tenors, The title translates as "It is wrong to break faith" the text is about a young man professing that his love is strong even though he is apart from the object of his love.

I decided to use a horn and a euphonium for the soloists, with the accompaniment managed by 2 cornets/trumpets, a horn and a tuba. although both voices are tenor, the upper voice makes it a little uncomfortable on that instrument.

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.