Green-Clad Hills

Published in 1566 within Palestrina’s fifth book of madrigals, “Vestiva i colli” stands as one of the Renaissance’s most beloved secular works. This chamber trio arrangement follows the model set by Bartolomeo de Selma y Salaverde, the Venetian bassoon virtuoso whose 1638 collection Canzoni, fantasie et correnti pioneered idiomatic writing for the instrument. The recorder presents the luminous soprano line with airy grace, while the bassoon intertwines alto and tenor voices in rich, earthy resonance—alternating between octaves and independent motion to preserve Palestrina’s imitative counterpoint. The harpsichord provides a transparent basso continuo, its sparse chords supporting rather than overshadowing the polyphony. Thus Green-Clad Hills unfolds as a miniature sound-painting: a serene, melancholic stroll through springtime landscapes where Renaissance clarity meets the emerging warmth of Baroque expression.

Pages: 15
Instrumentation: recorder, bassoon and harpsichord
Instruments: Recorder, Bassoon, Harpsichord
Key: D minor
BPM: 100
Time signature: 4 / 4
Green-Clad Hills - Full Score
Recorder
Bassoon

• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Composer
• Bartolomeo de Selma y Salaverde - Arranger