| GREEN MAN PRESS - EARLY MUSIC EDITIONS | ||
| Henry Purcell (1659-1695) | ||
| The collection of songs by Henry Purcell entitled Orpheus Britannicus is in two volumes, published in 1698 and 1702 respectively. These include solo songs, duets and dialogues, and some songs for 3 voices. The publisher, Henry Playford, describes the two volumes as 'A/Collection/of all/the Choicest SONGS/for/One, Two and Three Voices/ Compos'd /By Mr. Henry Purcell'. None of the songs are long pieces; many were originally written for the stage, either as operatic songs or incidental music to a play, and so most of them had been published previously. Orpheus must have enjoyed moderately successful sales. The first volume ran to a second edition in 1702, and the second in 1711: both were reprinted in 1721. Frances Purcell, in dedicating the first volume to Lady Howard, pays tribute to Sir Robert Howard, "whose Excellent Compositions were the Subject of his [Purcell's] last and best Performance in Musick." Robert Howard was co-author with John Dryden of The Indian Queen, performed in the year of Purcell's death. |
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Pur 1 |
Four
Dialogues - I
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Pur 2
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Four
Dialogues - II
Like many of the songs in Orpheus Britannicus, three of these dialogues were originally written for the stage and published along with the incidental music. The first, Why my Daphne, why complaining, not associated with a play, was probably intended for domestic entertainment, and was published separately in 1691. With the second, Fair Iris and her Swain, it represents a simpler, earlier style than the other two. Since Times are so bad appears in Don Quixote, and is an amusing social commentary on court and city life. Tell me why, my Charming Fair is taken from the Act V Masque in Dioclesian. These are both more substantial pieces than the first two, and represent a more developed, sophisticated style.
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| Pur 3 | In all our Cinthia's shining Sphear - A Dialogue for soprano , bass and continuo In all of Cinthia’s shining Sphear is a charming and witty dialogue which appears in the 1706 print of the first book of Orpheus Britannicus. |
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Pur 5
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Four Duets from Orpheus Britannicus
These beautifully written pieces represent quite a challenge technically. The first appears only in Orpheus Britannicus, which was published posthumously for the support of Purcell's widow Frances. The others are to be found among Purcell's music for the theatre. |
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| Pur 6 | Two Songs with Flutes from Orpheus Britannicus for soprano, bass, two recorders and continuo
The first of these 'Symphony Songs' is a soprano air with an overture and ritornello for two recorders and continuo, and the second has airs for both soprano and baritone with an overture and ritornello for recorders. Both finish with a chorus for instruments with voices.'Soft Notes' is, as it is called, a serenading song; that is a song of seduction. 'How pleasant' presents the ideal of the pastoral life far from the stresses of city and court life. The charm of the melodies is matched by the superb writing for the recorders. |
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| Pur 7 | Three Songs with Hautboys from Orpheus Britannicus
for voice, two oboes and continuo Seek not to know what must not be reveal'd (Z.630) is the magician Ismeron’s song from the Indian Queen. It follows a petition from the love-lorn Zempoalla to know what the future holds for her. Ismeron is obviously effective as a magician, and knows that hers was to be a tragic end; Peter Holman suggests that through him the God of Dreams is trying to give a diplomatic answer rather than tell her the bad news. The voice part, although written in the G2 clef, and intended for a tenor is manageable by a baritone. Hence with your trifling Deity (Z.632) comes from the Masque of Cupid and Bacchus in Timon of Athens, Thomas Shadwell’s play, which was revived in 1694. It obviously belongs to one of the Bacchus party, and tellingly disparages the effects of love. We are not in the presence of great music here, but it has strength and energy, and is fun to sing and play. Wond'rous Machine (Z.328) which extols the organ, supposedly invented by St Cecilia, comes from one of Purcell’s finest works; the Ode for St Cecilias Day 1692. It is a wonderful example of a composition on a ground bass, a form used many times to such memorable effect by Purcell. |
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| Pur 9 | In Guilty Night (Z.134) (Saul and the Witch of Endor) for soprano, tenor, bass solos, and continuo This dramatic work, described as a Paraphrase when it was published by Henry Playford, is based on the biblical story of the ghost of Samuel being raised by the witch at the behest of the king, Saul. The desperate king, sung by the tenor, comes to the Witch (soprano) by night and in disguise. Overcoming her misgivings, he gets her to summon up the ghost of the prophet Samuel to foretell his fate. Samuel, sung by the bass, appears from the nether regions, to prophesy in doom-laden terms. Purcell exploits the drama to the full: the scene is set by the sombre opening chorus; the exchanges between the characters are full of tension and suspense; and it finishes with a chorus where, as Peter Holman writes, "Purcell picked out the word ‘farewell’, with the singers in character to the end, the witch and the ghost icily dismissing the shattered king, who can only sob in semitone slides over descending passacaglia-like harmonies. Once heard, these wonderful yet horrifying 10 bars can never be forgotten". This story has been the inspiration for a number of composers both before and after Purcell. These include Schütz (Saul, Saul was verfolgst du mich?, 1650) and Charpentier (the prologue to the opera David et Jonathas, 1688), as well as Robert Ramsey (In guilty Night, c1628). |
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| Pur 10 | O,O let me Weep! from Orpheus Britannicus for soprano, oboe (or recorder) and continuo The Plaint O, O, let me Weep! is part of the masque in Act V of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, where Juno appears and sings first the Epithalamium Thrice happy lovers, and then The Plaint. The main source for this song is Orpheus Britannicus. Peter Holman suggests that the quality and the range of the obbligato instrument suggest a recorder, rather than the violin indicated: if this were so it would be the only instance in Purcell’s works of his writing for a single recorder. Clifford Bartlett in his edition of the Fairy Queen suggests violin or oboe as the appropriate instrument. Accordingly, the piece is presented here as a song with oboe obbligato, which recorder players may also like to add to their repertoire. |
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| Pur 11 | The Four SEASONS in the Fairy Queen from Orpheus Britannicus for soprano, alto, tenor and bass solos, strings and continuo The Four Seasons are part of the masque in Act IV of Purcell's The Fairy Queen, given to celebrate Oberon's birthday. After a symphony, Phoebus appears, who as the rising Sun gives "Life Warmth and Vigour to all". Phoebus is acknowledged by the chorus - "Hail great Parent of us all". Each of the Four Seasons then makes their characteristic offering to him; Spring skippingly, Summer with a May- day dance, Autumn with reflective counterpoint, and finally Winter with his prayer for warmth in music of surpassing poignancy. |
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| Pur 12 | Songs for bass solo from Orpheus Britannicus
for bass and continuo. The
first two songs of this edition both appear in stage works; Let the
dreadfull engines is sung by Cardenio in The Comical History of Don
Quixote, i, and You twice ten hundred Deities belongs to Ismeron
in The Indian Queen. The third song Bacchus is a Pow'r Divine is
claimed by Henry Playford to be published for the first time in Orpheus
Britannicus. Let the dreadfull engines is a mad song, Cardenio
appearing 'in Ragged Cloaths, and in a Wild Posture' , his 'deranged mental
state induced by the faithlessness of his beloved. Performers do not always
appreciate that this famous song is a comic exploration of madness, but
Purcell made the point unmistakably with ludicrous juxtapositions of declamatory
passages in the grand manner and folk-like ballad tunes'. Ismeron's song
comes as a response to the love-sick queen Zempoalla's demand that he
summon up the God of Dreams to foretell her fate. This '….is the most
awe-inspiring of Purcell's conjuring tricks.' In turn, the magician sings
an invocation to the god, a series of expressive incantations of charms,
and a climactic rising chromatic sequence, as the sleeping god arises.
The song finishes paradoxically with a lullaby passage in triple time.
Bacchus is a Pow'r Divine is, as its title might suggest, a drinking
song. Nevertheless Purcell raises the song above the unworthiness of its
text (and subject!) with the ingenuity of his word-painting. (The quotations
are taken from Peter Holman's book Henry Purcell, Oxford, OUP (1994)
p 215, quoting Curtis Price: Henry Purcell, p212-213 |
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| Pur 13 |
When Night her purple vail (?Daniel Purcell)
for bass, 2 violins and continuo. sample
pages - pdf When Night her purple vail depicts the despair of the
shepherd Damon at his lack of success with the Nymph Silvia, who is enamoured
of a satyr, who is very rudely described as a goat by the narrator and
as a monster or beast by Damon. In fact, the satyrs, the ritual attendants
of Bacchus/Dionysus, were usually depicted as rather comely, and their
chief goat–like character was their sexual prowess, which might
explain Silvia’s infatuation. |
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| Pur 14 |
See where she sits
for soprano, bass, 2 violins and continuo. Purcell wrote a number of symphony songs for voices with various instruments. Two of them are detailed above - see Pur 6. The present work, ‘See where she sits’ is based on words by Abraham Cowley (1618-1667). (as is ‘How pleasant is this flow’ry Plain and Grove’ - Pur 6). The symphony songs, and a number of Purcell’s court odes appear in his autograph manuscript collection in the Royal Music Collection, R.M. 20.h.8. The setting of the second stanza for soprano solo has a more lyrical
feeling than the other three, and is preceded by a symphony for the violins
which sets the mood. The first, third and fourth stanzas with their more
ironic tone, are given a lively contrapuntal treatment, with much chromaticism,
producing passages that are remarkable for their degree of dissonance.
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