In Scaldava il sol (The Sun Heated) Luca Marenzio portrays an idyllic pastoral scene with the help of madrigal-like tone painting: in the scintillating midday heat a shepherd lies sleeping in a grove with his flock of sheep. The chirping of crickets, the slumber of the exhausted shepherd, the deserted landscape – all of this is presented in a compositional technique and dynamics that are rich in contrast. The text interpretation through musical means is a central aspect of the 16th century madrigal, the culmination of which Marenzio represents.