This baroque piece stands, in some ways, in direct contrast to the increasing ornateness of the late Italian madrigal that preceded it. But it is still strongly rooted in the expressiveness ideal that lay behind most Italian madrigals—the reflection of the meaning of the text through the music. "Like a gentle and serene ray of the sun rests on the placid ripples while in the depths of the sea's heart a tempest stirs, so does happy, peaceful laughter flower on content, joyful lips, while the stricken heart secretly suffers torment." The text describes hidden depths of troubled emotions, and the music portrays this vividly. The instrumental chords that open the piece are highly repetitive, and the voice even stays on the same note when it enters for several notes. The phrasing remains highly subdued, in keeping with the concept of largely hidden emotions, and so the musicians have only the inflections with which to communicate. There are no stunning leaps or vocal acrobatics, or even attention- grabbing discords—only the restrained, subdued lines.

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