Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the day and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Wilbye O God the rock SSATB
(No YouTube is available, but mp3 recordings of parts are available in this dropbox, courtesy of someone called John Fletcher)
Wilbye's exquisite compositions are almost - but not quite - all secular. I came across this interesting exception whilst researching Sir William Leighton's Teares and Lamentactions of a Sorrowfull Soule. Leighton (1565-1622), a minor composer, wrote a collection of decidedly second-rate verse whilst imprisoned for debt and on his release somehow managed to persuade some of the best of his contemporaries (including Byrd and Gibbons) to set some of his texts. This one is essentially a re-working of Draw on sweet night and so seems too interesting to pass over!
Gibbons Trust not too much or YouTube SSATB
From the First set of Madrigals and Motets of 1612. I'm not quite sure why we haven't looked at this lovely piece before - probably in part because the ranges are not ideal. But I realise that the copy in our own library is a little friendlier (for some voices) in that respect so let's give it a try and note that we won't be using the version in OBEM. The piece itself is an exquisite life lesson. I think 'primit' might mean 'privit', as in a type of hedge.
Morley April is in my mistress' face or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATB
This lilting English madrigal, written by Thomas Morley in 1594, is one of the best-known of the genre. It is based on Vecchi's Nel vis'ha un vago Aprile (see the second verse of this) and illustrates the essence of Morley's concise style in a charming way: using a metaphor of weather and the seasons to convey the vicissitudes of the poet's relationship with his lover, who seems to wield power over him. The opening is light and delicately textured with a rippling rhythm, whilst the penultimate line brings in a far longer legato. The repeated 'but in her heart' builds emphasis and creates a musical climax. It reflects the movement of the poet's state of mind: from delight and hope to a more wistful, subdued acceptance of reality.
Tomkins Too much I once lamented or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SSATB
This is one of the loveliest of madrigals, with suspensions, dissonance and harmony showing mastery of the form, and the enigmatic combination of text and music creating an interesting interpretive challenge. The opening text suggests a light-hearted piece, but the melancholy of the music demonstrates something different. Perhaps the piece reflects the feelings of a lover who wishes to cast off a fruitless love but has not yet succeeded...
Morley Arise, awake or YouTube SATTB
From The Triumphs of Oriana, Morley's 1601 tribute to Queen Elizabeth - or, as some suggest, Anne of Denmark, who became queen of England alongside James I. This piece is a seemingly hasty re-working of the composer's 'Adieu ye kind and cruel', possibly translated from an Italian canzonet. The 'silly shepherds sleeping' are awakened by the appearance of the queen's entourage. There is a deft and rapid contrast of slow and quick music and, as ever, some clever word-painting, with the interval leaps on 'arise' and quick quavers on 'awake, awake' being great examples in the first three bars alone.
Greaves Come away sweet love or YouTube
SSATB
A lovely, graceful piece, one of the four madrigals published in Songs of sundrie kinds in 1604. The verses are homophonic, the fa-las polyphonic and there is some delightful word-painting, especially on 'running in and out'!
Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the day and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Wilbye O God the rock SSATB
(No YouTube is available, but mp3 recordings of parts are available in this dropbox, courtesy of someone called John Fletcher)
Wilbye's exquisite compositions are almost - but not quite - all secular. I came across this interesting exception whilst researching Sir William Leighton's Teares and Lamentactions of a Sorrowfull Soule. Leighton (1565-1622), a minor composer, wrote a collection of decidedly second-rate verse whilst imprisoned for debt and on his release somehow managed to persuade some of the best of his contemporaries (including Byrd and Gibbons) to set some of his texts. This one is essentially a re-working of Draw on sweet night and so seems too interesting to pass over!
Gibbons Trust not too much or YouTube SSATB
From the First set of Madrigals and Motets of 1612. I'm not quite sure why we haven't looked at this lovely piece before - probably in part because the ranges are not ideal. But I realise that the copy in our own library is a little friendlier (for some voices) in that respect so let's give it a try and note that we won't be using the version in OBEM. The piece itself is an exquisite life lesson. I think 'primit' might mean 'privit', as in a type of hedge.
Morley April is in my mistress' face or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATB
This lilting English madrigal, written by Thomas Morley in 1594, is one of the best-known of the genre. It is based on Vecchi's Nel vis'ha un vago Aprile (see the second verse of this) and illustrates the essence of Morley's concise style in a charming way: using a metaphor of weather and the seasons to convey the vicissitudes of the poet's relationship with his lover, who seems to wield power over him. The opening is light and delicately textured with a rippling rhythm, whilst the penultimate line brings in a far longer legato. The repeated 'but in her heart' builds emphasis and creates a musical climax. It reflects the movement of the poet's state of mind: from delight and hope to a more wistful, subdued acceptance of reality.
Tomkins Too much I once lamented or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SSATB
This is one of the loveliest of madrigals, with suspensions, dissonance and harmony showing mastery of the form, and the enigmatic combination of text and music creating an interesting interpretive challenge. The opening text suggests a light-hearted piece, but the melancholy of the music demonstrates something different. Perhaps the piece reflects the feelings of a lover who wishes to cast off a fruitless love but has not yet succeeded...
Morley Arise, awake or YouTube SATTB
From The Triumphs of Oriana, Morley's 1601 tribute to Queen Elizabeth - or, as some suggest, Anne of Denmark, who became queen of England alongside James I. This piece is a seemingly hasty re-working of the composer's 'Adieu ye kind and cruel', possibly translated from an Italian canzonet. The 'silly shepherds sleeping' are awakened by the appearance of the queen's entourage. There is a deft and rapid contrast of slow and quick music and, as ever, some clever word-painting, with the interval leaps on 'arise' and quick quavers on 'awake, awake' being great examples in the first three bars alone.
Greaves Come away sweet love or YouTube
SSATB
A lovely, graceful piece, one of the four madrigals published in Songs of sundrie kinds in 1604. The verses are homophonic, the fa-las polyphonic and there is some delightful word-painting, especially on 'running in and out'!
Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the day and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Wilbye O God the rock SSATB
(No YouTube is available, but mp3 recordings of parts are available in this dropbox, courtesy of someone called John Fletcher)
Wilbye's exquisite compositions are almost - but not quite - all secular. I came across this interesting exception whilst researching Sir William Leighton's Teares and Lamentactions of a Sorrowfull Soule. Leighton (1565-1622), a minor composer, wrote a collection of decidedly second-rate verse whilst imprisoned for debt and on his release somehow managed to persuade some of the best of his contemporaries (including Byrd and Gibbons) to set some of his texts. This one is essentially a re-working of Draw on sweet night and so seems too interesting to pass over!
Gibbons Trust not too much or YouTube SSATB
From the First set of Madrigals and Motets of 1612. I'm not quite sure why we haven't looked at this lovely piece before - probably in part because the ranges are not ideal. But I realise that the copy in our own library is a little friendlier (for some voices) in that respect so let's give it a try and note that we won't be using the version in OBEM. The piece itself is an exquisite life lesson. I think 'primit' might mean 'privit', as in a type of hedge.
Morley April is in my mistress' face or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATB
This lilting English madrigal, written by Thomas Morley in 1594, is one of the best-known of the genre. It is based on Vecchi's Nel vis'ha un vago Aprile (see the second verse of this) and illustrates the essence of Morley's concise style in a charming way: using a metaphor of weather and the seasons to convey the vicissitudes of the poet's relationship with his lover, who seems to wield power over him. The opening is light and delicately textured with a rippling rhythm, whilst the penultimate line brings in a far longer legato. The repeated 'but in her heart' builds emphasis and creates a musical climax. It reflects the movement of the poet's state of mind: from delight and hope to a more wistful, subdued acceptance of reality.
Tomkins Too much I once lamented or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SSATB
This is one of the loveliest of madrigals, with suspensions, dissonance and harmony showing mastery of the form, and the enigmatic combination of text and music creating an interesting interpretive challenge. The opening text suggests a light-hearted piece, but the melancholy of the music demonstrates something different. Perhaps the piece reflects the feelings of a lover who wishes to cast off a fruitless love but has not yet succeeded...
Morley Arise, awake or YouTube SATTB
From The Triumphs of Oriana, Morley's 1601 tribute to Queen Elizabeth - or, as some suggest, Anne of Denmark, who became queen of England alongside James I. This piece is a seemingly hasty re-working of the composer's 'Adieu ye kind and cruel', possibly translated from an Italian canzonet. The 'silly shepherds sleeping' are awakened by the appearance of the queen's entourage. There is a deft and rapid contrast of slow and quick music and, as ever, some clever word-painting, with the interval leaps on 'arise' and quick quavers on 'awake, awake' being great examples in the first three bars alone.
Greaves Come away sweet love or YouTube
SSATB
A lovely, graceful piece, one of the four madrigals published in Songs of sundrie kinds in 1604. The verses are homophonic, the fa-las polyphonic and there is some delightful word-painting, especially on 'running in and out'!
