In the musical writings of the late madrigal period, there are many qualities and characteristics that make it distinct from earlier madrigal writings. For example, later madrigal compositions tend to include more chromatic lines, the use of imitative textures and word painting as well as extravagant contrasts in meter and mode, consonances and dissonances, and slower and quick paced rhythms. In Monteverdi’s piece A Un Giro Sol, these qualities make it very clear that is was written during the late madrigal period. The piece displays the use of word painting, uses chromatics, imitation between voices and uses different types of compositional contrasts frequently. For example, the poem changes emotionally at the line “I am sad and weeping” and the music reflects it by shifting into the minor mode as well as chromatics being added. The piece also uses very distinct word painting. In measure 8, in the tenore voice, on the words are “ride l’aria intorno,” meaning the breeze laughs all about, the line becomes melismatic and moves as if it were the breeze, also mimicking laugher. It is then followed by the basso, and then by the upper two voices. In measure 40 in the top voice, the lyric is “langrimose,” which means weeping, there is a falling chromatic line almost as if it was mimicking tears falling. In the lyric “certo quando neceste,” meaning doubtless on the day you were born, the rhythm becomes strict and angry in measure 57. Monteverdi’s use of these characteristics made it obvious that it was from the late madrigal period. However it was one of his earlier writings.