Shakespeare in Song

Jo Arnott, Danielle Grant, Jenny Duck-Chong, Diana Weston and Cathy Upex seated

Players

Danielle Grant –soprano

Jenny Duck-Chong –mezzo

Joanne Arnott –recorder

Cathy Upex –gamba, cellos

Diana Weston –Harpsichord

Photos by Helen Weston

Shakespeare in Song

Three chapters in the imaginary Book of Shakespeare are ‘introduced’ by recorder player Joanne Arnott – a book devoted to music associated with Shakespeare. The first chapter features music performed in the plays as they first appeared. The second sees Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream the basis of an opera in excerpts from Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. In the third, Shakespeare’s mark is as the text in the songs of Rubbra, Vaughan Williams and Rutter. Singing the tales are Danielle Grant (soprano) and Jenny Duck-Chong (mezzo), with Cathy Upex (gamba/cello) and Diana Weston (harpsichord).

MARCH 18 2012 at 2.30PM St Luke’s church, Mosman

Sample Text

Our first concert for the year is structured a bit differently from our usual format. It is broken roughly into three parts or ‘chapters’ (a reference to the literary inspiration for this concert), each demonstrating  the influence of Shakespeare on music at a different time in English musical history, from his day to the present.

In the first chapter we hear music that was known to have been played within the context of one of other of Shakespeare’s plays, either written specifically for the play by a known or anonymous composer, or which was part of 16^th century musical tradition, was  known by all and sundry and could have been used in the plays.

The second chapter shows Shakespeare’s influence in a different context. Purcell in 1692 wrote a quasi-opera based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream called The Fairy Queen. Not only is the text derived from the play, but the complete plot. We also hear a little gem from a contemporary of Purcell, Pelham Humphrey and a perennial favourite by Arne.

The third chapter moves into the 20^th/21^st century where several composers acknowledge their debt to Shakespeare in their chosen texts – and rediscover harpsichords and recorders.

Each of the chapters begins with a work that sets the scene, stylistically, for the music that is to come. For this reason our continuo changes from bass viol (viola da gamba) to baroque cello to modern cello. Like dialogue in the plays, the  musical ‘conversation’ is passed from one musician to another, sometimes speaking alone, sometimes in combination with one or two others, until our chapter concludes.

Chapter One

‘Susanne’ Galliard  by John Dowland

Shakespeare’s plays included many songs, dances, tunes and instrumental pieces. Some of them were old and well-known by all, others were written especially for a specific scene. Often the author/composer is unknown. Effects could be comic, gay or sorrowful. Either way, they were intended to provide variety, a change of pace or scene, or simply to engage the audience. In general, songs would have been accompanied on the lute (often with written-out parts) or the virginal (a small harpsichord) with or without cello. The following are some of the many songs and pieces found in Shakespeare’s plays.

Heart’s Ease from Romeo and Juliet, Act iv, sc. 5 after Juliet’s apparent death. Peter asks the musicians to play Heart’s Ease. He calls the players by nick-names ie. Catling, Soundpost and Rebeck.

O Mistress Mine from Twelfth Night Act ii, sc. 3. One of many songs and a Catch. Sung by the Clown

O mistress mine, where are you roaming?Stay and hear; your true love’s comingThat can sing both high and low.Trip no further, pretty sweeting;Journeys end in lovers’ meeting,Ev’ry wise man’s son doth know.

What is love?’tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter, What’s to come is still unsure: In delay there lies no plenty;Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty, youth’s a stuff will not endure.

Peg-a-Ramsey from Twelfth Night Act ii, sc. 3, the tune only is original

Peggy is a pretty lass and clever with her hands And well she earns a living off the things she understands, For when the Ramsey shepherd lad has trouble with the lambs He often gets the best of help of bonny Peg-a-Ramsey.

Peggy is  a jolly lass and nimble on her feet, And when she skips an Irish jig her steps are hard to beat, And when the clumsy shepherd lad has slither’d on his hams He often gets a helping hand of bonny Peg-a Ramsey.

Peggy is a cheery lass and merry in her eye And certain sue the shepherd will be happy by and bye, For soon as he can finish with the ram and lambs and dams He won’t be long to go to church with bonny Peg-a-Ramsey.

A robyn, gentyl robyn from Twelfth Night Act IV, sc. ii, by William Cornyshe, early 16^th c.

The Hamburgh March in Hamlet Act iii, sc. 2. The King and Queen and their retinue enter the hall to see the play. A ‘Danish March’ is played. The music is from the Cambridge Lute Book.

Robin or Ophelia’s 4^th song is sung in Hamlet. The tune only is original,

My Robin is to the greenwood gone, My Robin has left me quite alone. Sad are the days, a las, slowly the hours do pass; Bonny sweet Robin is all my moan.

My heart is sore with  all annoy, My thoughts are set in one employ. Weeping I grieve for him, All would I leave for him: Bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.

Ophelia’s 2^nd song from Act IV sc. 5.

And will he not come again? No, no he is dead: go to thy deathbed; He never will come again.

His beard as white as snow, All flaxen was his poll; He is gone, he is gone, And we cast away moan; God ha’ mercy on his soul.

Callino Casturame. Words from 1584. Corruption of Irish Cailin og ‘youthful maiden’ a stoirin min ‘O dearest sweetheart’. This song is mentioned in Henry V Act iv,sc 4, line 4. Pistol wishes to insult the French soldier, a gentleman, whose clothes and appearance were considered worthy of derision. The melody is found in Byrd’s compositions, and in the Cambridge Lute Book.

When as I view your comely grace, Caleno Csutureme, Your golden haires, your angel’s face, Caleno

azured veines, much like the skies, Caleno Custureme, Your silver teeth, your christal eies, Caleno

coral lips, your crimson cheeks, Caleno Custureme, That Gods and men both love and leekes, Caleno…

Come live with Me. Parts of this song are sung by Parson Hugh in Merry Wives of Windsor Act iii, sc. 1. He is in a very nervous state and gets Psalm cxxxvii mixed up with Marlowe’s Passionate Pilgrim.

Come live with me, and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove That hills and valleys, dale and field And all the craggy mountains yield

And we will sit upon the rodks, Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks By shallow rivers, to whose falls Melodious birds sing madrigals.

There will I make thee a bed of roses With a thousand fragrant posies, A cap of flowers, and a kirtle Imbrodred all with leaves of mirtle.

My Lady Carey’s Dompe, dated 1510. A piece for a virginal. It could have been used in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act iii, sc. 2 where there is reference to a ‘deploring dump’. A ‘merry dump to comfort me’ is requested in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare considered them doleful… ‘Distress likes dumps, when time is kept with tears’.

Farewell Dear Love, a part song with lute accompaniment by Robert Jones 1600, from ‘First Booke of Songs and Ayres’. In Twelfth Night Act ii sc. 2. Malvolio tells Sir Toby off for causing a rumpus in Olivia’s house. Toby sings Robert Jones’ song, with some alteration of the words.

Farewell dear love, since thou wilt needs be gone, mine eyes do shew my life is almost done Nay I will never ide so long as I can spy, There by many mo’ tho’ that she do go, There be many mo’ I fear not, Why then let her go, I care not.

Farewell, farewell, since this I find is true, I will not spend more time in wooing you; But I will seek elsewhere if I may find love there. Shall I bid her go? What an if I do?Shall I bid her go and spare not? O no, no, no, no, no, I dare not.

Chapter Two

John Eccles

A Division on a Ground for recorder and continuo

Songs from Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen

These songs have been taken from a shortened concert version of the original The Fairy Queen devised by Peter Pears, edited and realized by Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst. The harpsichord part is realized by Philip Ledger from the orchestral parts, and is not true continuo. Words are from an anonymous adaptation  (c. 1692) of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Purcell conceived an opera-like work based on Shakespeare’s play, complete with story-line, characters and words, and intended its performance in a theatre with dances and special effects such as ‘vast Quantities of Water falling in mighty Cascades’ and ‘numbers of Birds flying in the Air’. The first performance of The Fairy Queen was at Queen’s Theatre in 1692.

I am come to lock all fast (sung by Mystery) Instrumentation soprano, cello, double bass, continuo

I am come to lock all fast, Love without me cannot last. Love, like counsels of the wise, Must be hid from vulgar eyes. Tis holy, ‘tis holy and we must conceal it; They profane it, who reveal it

One charming night (sung by Secrecy). Instrumentation originally counter-tenor (mezzo), flute, cello, continuo

One charming night Gives more delight Than a hundred, a hundred….. lucky days. Night and I improve the taste, Make the pleasure sure longer last, A thousand, thousand…… sev’ral ways.

If Love’s sweet passion (sung by A Shepherd). Instrumentation originally tenor, chorus and strings, continuo

If love’s a sweet passion, why does it torment? If a bitter, oh tell whence comes my content? Since I suffer with pleasure, why should I complain, Or grieve at my fate, when I know ‘tis in vain? Yet so pleasing the pain is, so soft is the dart, That at once it both wounds me and tickles my heart.

I press her hand gently, look languishing down, And by passionate silence I make my love known, But oh! How I’m blest when so kind she does prove, By some willing mistake to discover her love, When in striving to hide, she reveals all her flame, And our eyes tell each other what neither dares name.

The  Plaint: O let me weep (sung by A Nymph). Instrumentation soprano, oboe, cello, continuo

O, O, let me weep! O let me forever weep, forever My eyes no more shall welcome sleep. I’ll hide me from the sight of day, And sigh my soul, O let me weep. He’s gone, he’s gone, his loss deplore; And I shall never see him more.

Pelham Humphrey (1647-1674)

The Willow Song, words by William Shakspere from ‘Othello’ Act IV, sc. 3

The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Sing all a green willow; Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, Sing willow, The fresh streams ran by her, And murmur’d her moans; Her salt tears fell from her, and soften’d the stones; Sing willow. Come all ye forsaken, and mourn now with me;  Who speaks of a false love, Mine’s falser than he. Sing willow.

Thomas Arne ( 1710-1778)

Where the Bee Sucks, words by William Shakespere from ‘The Tempest’ Act V, sc. 1

Where the bee sucks, there lurk I: In a cow-slip’s bell I lie; There I couch when owls do cry; On a bat’s back do I fly, after sunset merrily. Merrily shall I live now Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

Chapter Three

Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986)

Cantata Pastorale for harpsichord, recorder, voice and cello

1. Silence, …Dryads leafy keep; Rocky fountains hush your spraying; Hush your babble bleating sheep, Pan is playing, O’er the cluste’d reed-pipe See how his mellow lips are glancing; Nymphs of fountain, Nymphs of tree Foot it round him, dancing, dancing.

2. Softly the west wind blows; Gaily the warm sun goes; The earth her bosom sheweth, And with all sweetness floweth. Goes forth the scarlet spring, Clad with all blossoming, Sprinkles the fields with flowers, Leaves on the forest. I see it with my eyes, I hear it with my ears, But in my heart are sighs And I am full of tears. Do thou, O spring most fair, Squander thy care  On flower and leaf and grain. Leave me alone with pain!

3. Now the fields are laughing, Now the maidens playing The face of the earth is smiling. Summer  now appearing, Joyous and lovely with all flowers beguiling. The trees again are green, Budding the underwood, And cruel winter passes, O lads be gay of mood For love himself now leads your to the lasses.

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

‘Take, O Take’

Take, O take those lips away, That so sweetly were forsworn; And those eyes, the break of day, Lights that do mislead the morn: But my kisses bring again, Bring again, seals of love, but seal’d in vain, seal’d in vain.

Edmund Rubbra

‘Take, O take those lips away’, Op. 22 No 1. The text is the same as above, the same text but such a different song.

Peter Sculthorpe (b. 1929)

‘Take, O Take Those Lips Away’ from Three Shakespeare Songs

John Rutter (b. 1945)

‘Tell me where is Fancy Bred’. Words by Shakespeare from The Merchant of Venice

Tell me where is fancy bred  Or in the heart, or in the head? How begot, how nourished? Reply, reply,

It is engendered in the eyes, With gazing fed; and fancy dies In the cradle where it lies. Let us all ring fancy’s knell; I’ll begin it – Ding, dong, bell. Ding, dong, bell.

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