Wert: Two Villanelles

Giaches (Jacques) Wert was one of the greatest madrigal, composers of his time. Although he was originally from Flanders, he worked for much of his time at the musically progressive city of Ferrara. He was known for highly expressive serious madrigals, often chromatic and harmonically bold. These two French pieces in a lighter but Italian style, are something else; they are nothing if not charming.