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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- 7 Elizabethan Lyrics (Op. 12):
I. Weep no more 00:00
II. My life's delight 02:18
III. Damask roses 03:50
IV. The faithless shepherdess 05:01
V. Brown is my love 06:46
VI. By a fountainside 08:01
VII. Fair house of joy 10:45
Quilter, Roger (1877-1953) -composer
Barbara Bonney -soprano
Malcolm Martineau -piano
Playlist: "The art of British song: Elgar, Somervell, Williams, Finzi..": • The art of British son...
Score: conquest.imslp.info/files/imgl...
In the Seven Elizabethan Lyrics, Op. 12 (1908), Roger Quilter resumed his practice of mining much earlier English poetry for his modern art songs. At the time his longest song cycle to date, the Seven Elizabethan Lyrics was introduced by the tenor Gervase Elwes, a champion of the composer's work. In the cycle, which includes poems by Campion and Jonson as well as five anonymous works, Quilter uses a variety of techniques to breathe new life into older words.
The first song, "Weep You No More," at times displays a passion unusual for the often reserved Quilter. The melody often lies in a high tessitura, making demands on the singer, as when the word "softly" is repeated on a high note. But reaching such extremes provides for satisfying dynamic contrast later in the song, a contrast also evident between songs.
The second song in the cycle, "My Life's Delight," is a setting of a Thomas Campion poem. As the text becomes more impassioned, so does the vocal line, which reaches some of the highest notes of the cycle. The second strophe, in a departure for the composer, is highly modified from the first. The ending, formulaic for the composer, is reminiscent of "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal." (Interestingly, the musicologist Trevor Hold has compared Quilter's compositional talent to that of the poet Campion, as opposed to that of a more widely recognized musical genius such as Dowland.)
"Damask Roses," the third song, is through composed, a rarity in Quilter's output. The shortest of the cycle, at just 19 measures, it is reminiscent of Vaughan Williams. The next song, "The Faithless Shepherdess," is the longest and most difficult of the set, appropriate to its central place in the cycle. More chromatic and rhythmically difficult than its companions, it is an interesting blend of pastoral text with a musical language that has certain modern features.
The fifth song, "Brown Is My Love," is the most elegant and lithe setting of the cycle. The accompaniment, though sparse, adds grace to the simple melody; a repeat of the first line expertly rounds off its single stanza. "By a Fountainside," the sixth song, sets a Ben Jonson poem. Modulating from minor to the relative major and back, the song is the most like a madrigal, with its evocative setting of the "drop" of tears. The final song in the cycle, "Fair House of Joy," is a majestic celebration of love. Suggestive of Elgar and Vaughan Williams, it is highly typical of the early 20th-century English art song, and brings the cycle to a resounding close.
The Seven Elizabethan Lyrics are not a particularly unified set; rather, it is the range of techniques Quilter uses, along with the variety of sentiments expressed, that keeps the cycle consistently interesting.
Source: www.allmusic.com/composition/e...
Buy the CD here: www.amazon.com/My-Name-Is-Barb...
By far the best interpretations of these wonderful songs by Quilter. Just the right amount of delicacy and fragility in the vocals to bring out all the emotions to perfection without being to forceful.
Excellent piano work too........A pure delight!😊
This set keeps growing and growing on me. Such beautiful melodies.
Such beautiful music !!!!! Quilter is wonderful.
Isn't he? God, such sublime music so wonderfully sung here!
A true lyric, w some fruitiness to it, like a good light red wine. A v. fine interpreter of these lovely songs.
Her only rival is Lynne Dawson. Beautiful!