Attributed to King Solomon, the Song of Songs is an intensely erotic text in which the man and woman sing to each other of the ardour that unites them. It remains an important book of the Bible, as it uses profane love as a metaphor for God’s love for his creatures. From the Middle Ages on, the female lover was associated with the Virgin Mary, or sometimes with Mary Magdalen, becoming the human soul irresistibly attracted to Christ and his infinite love. Since the Renaissance, composers have set fragments of this long poem to music, illustrating both carnal desire and spiritual aspiration.
