A Rain of Tears (Sento in seno)

Details

“Sento in seno ch’io pioggia di lagrime” (“I feel within a rain of tears”) from Tieteberga and Giustino by Antonio Vivaldi, arranged for two pianos (one muted) by Greg Anderson / Full score / Difficulty: Intermediate-advanced / Duration: 4 mins / Pages: 8 / Copyright: 2012 / Work number: 064 / Appears on the album When Words Fade / Spotify / Apple Music

Notes

Originally sung by Vivaldi’s heroines in Tieteberga and Giustino, “A rain of tears” musically depicts rain as a metaphor for tears. Exterior and internal worlds collide in a pointillistic deluge: the dark skies weep as we are submerged in sorrow. In this arrangement for two pianos, the muted piano’s desiccated timbre evokes teardrops punctuating the unmuted piano’s mournful melody.

— Greg Anderson & Elizabeth Joy Roe

Learn more about the muting of the second piano in this Anderson & Roe blog post.