Arcadelt was one of the most important and popular early renaissance madrigalists, and his first collection (including the international hit Il bianco e dolce cigno) went through fifty-five editions between 1538 and 1654. These four-voice works from that same book, Ancidetemi pur, Io dico che fra voi and Il ciel che rado, give a good idea of the stylistic range of the first-generation madrigal. For ATTB or SAAT soloists; performable also by a small choir or by an instrumental consort. i + 9 pages.