Meridian CDE 84198
1990
The Winters Tale
01 - John WILSON. Lawne as white as driven snow [1.43]
Cheerful Ayres and Ballads, 1660
Henry V
02 - Battaglia [3.27]
instr., drums, shawms, sackbut
Merry Wives of Windsor
03 - Come live with me [3.30]
melody William CORKINE, Second Book of Ayres
04 - John DOWLAND. Fortune my foe [3.08]
instr., series of lute variations on the melody
Othello
05 - The Willow Song [5.40]
ms. British Library
Romeo and Juliet
06 - Anthony HOLBORNE. Heart's Ease [2.25]
instr., 'broken consort': violin, recorders, viols and lute
07 - Richard EDWARDS. Where griping grief [3.12]
A Paradyse of Daynty Devises, 1577
The Tempest
08 - Robert JOHNSON. Full fathom life [1.45]
09 - Robert JOHNSON. Where the bee sucks [1.13]
Henry IV
10 - O death rock me asleep [6.23]
ms. British Library
Twelfth Night
11 - Thomas MORLEY. O Mistress Mine [2.36]
Consort Lessons, 1599
12 - John DOWLAND. Galliard: Battle Galliard [2.00]
13 - Robert JONES. Farewell dear love [4.38]
Songs and Ayres", 1601
Cymbeline
14 - Anthony HOLBORNE. Pavan: Last will and Testament [2.55]
15 - Robert JOHNSON. Hark, hark, the lark [1.31]
Hamlet
16 - John DOWLAND. Robin [4.03]
instr., Robin or Bonny sweet robin, trad. set by DOWLAND
17 - How should I your true love know? [1.52]
18 - Tomorrow is St. Valentine's day [3.18]
19 - John DOWLAND. Walsingham [5.26]
Measure for measure
20 - John WILSON or Robert JOHNSON. (attr.). Take o take those lips
away [1.38]
As you like it
21 - Thomas MORLEY. It was a lover and his lass [3.08]
Ayres or Little Short Songs
Simon Giles, treble
David Dyer, tenor
Camerata of London
Barry Mason
Giles Lewin, violin, recorder, shawm
Bill Lyons, recorder, shawm
Martin Pope, sackbut, recorder
Philip Thorby, bass viol, shawm
David Miller, lute
Glenda Simpson, viol
Neil Rowlands, Keith Giles, percussion
Barry Mason, lute, therobo, baroque guitar
Musical Supervision by Roger Geffen
Recorded and produced by John Shuttleworth
Assistant Engineers; Richard Hughes & lestyn Rees
Digitally recorded al St. Edward the Confessors Church, Mortingharn, using an AKG C24 microphone
Cover picture oy Glenda Simpson
Meridian Records, 1990
SHAKESPEARE'S MUSICKE
"I pray you let me heare your musicke for have often gone to plaies
more for musicke's sake than for action." This quotation from 1605
was addressed to a group of actors and shows clearly the importance of
music in the English theatre of the early seventeenth century. In
Shakespeare's plays alone there are over 400 references to music; be it
to specific songs or pieces that were to be performed as part of the
action, calls to arms for soldiers, exit or entrance music,
instructions on how to dance the galliard, or casual references to
popular songs, catches and ballads that would have been totally
familiar to his audiences.
In his works Shakespeare takes us through the full gamut of the musical
world, and like other cultured Elizabethans he was aware of its many
different levels, from the philosophical "music of the spheres" to a
sublime love song or a saucy peddler's ballad.
On this recording we have endeavoured to perform the music as
Shakespeare might have heard it, using original instruments, and boy
treble for the female songs. This, of course, is because in
Shakespeare's time women were not allowed to act professionally on the
stage. The female roles were always played by trained boy actors;
incredible as it may seem today the demanding roles of Lady Macbeth,
Desdemona and Ophelia were all originally interpreted by boys.
We have also used an authentic pronunciation of the period; obviously
in determining a pronunciation for texts that were written nearly four
hundred years ago there must be a measure of speculation. However, the
pronunciation we have used is based on many years of study by the late
Professor Dobson of Oxford, and also on practical application in
performances of Elizabethan music by members of the Camerata of London.
What can be stated with certainty is that this pronunciation, with its
pungent short vowels and characteristic rolled "r"s would be familiar
to Shakespeare himself, his actors and his audiences in a way that a
modern English pronunciation could never be.
Music was such an integral part of the Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre
that many interesting descriptions of musicians survive. For example we
know that in 1598 the band called the "Admiral's Men" included 3
shawms, one drum, a treble and bass viol, a bandora, a sackbut and
bells - an ensemble very similar to that used for some of the
instrumental pieces on this recording. During the whole period a great
variety of instrumental combinations and mixed consorts existed in the
theatre, because of the variations in the physical nature of the
venues. Some playhouses were small and roofed and this meant that music
performed in them was played on instruments suitable for indoor use:
lute, recorders, and viol, whilst in the "open" playhouses the
employment of drums, shawm bands and "outdoor" instruments was
essential.
This recording represents various aspects of music on the Shakespearean
stage. Not all the pieces were composed for Shakespeare's own
productions, indeed at this distance of time it is very hard to make
definitive statements, as very little detailed evidence of the specific
pieces performed in any one production survives. Suffice it to say that
the music we have chosen, the style of performance, the instrumentation
and the musical forms used are as close to the Shakespearean age as
present research permits.
THE MUSIC
Lawns as white is a peddler's song. Attributed to Dr John
Wilson, the song is found in his "Cheerful Ayres and Ballade of 1660.
From his connection with the theatre it seems likely that Wilson was
the singer "Jackie Wilson" whose name is mentioned in the folio edition
of 1623. The song is written in the new dramatic, declamatory style
prevalent in England at the beginning of the seventeenth century.
Battaglia is played on the "loud" instrumental consort of
drums, shawms and sackbut typical of the open air theatres. It imitates
the sound of battle.
Come live with me, a pastoral song quoted in the "Merry
Wives of Windsor". The melody is from William Corkine's "Second Book of
Ayres" of 1612.
Fortune my foe was a popular ballad; the intermingling of
the serious and popular traditions at this period is clearly shown, not
only by Shakespeare, who lets Falstaff casually quote the title, but
also by the fact that the courtly musician, John Dowland, chose to set
the melody as a series of lute variations.
The Willow Song is sung by Desdemona just before the
final catastrophe in "Othello". The song itself is very old, and was
probably well known to Shakespeare who used it to heighten the pathos
of the drama. This version is taken from a manuscript in the British
Library.
Heart's Ease. In Romeo and Juliet, the servant Peter, in
dialogue with a group of musicians calls for the popular Almain
"Heart's Ease". In this setting by Holborne the instrumentation we have
used is that of a "broken consort" - violin, recorders, viols and lute.
Where griping grief. This beautiful setting by Richard
Edwards was published in "A Paradyse of Daynty Devises" in 1577. The
first verse is sung by Peter in "Romeo and Juliet"; the text of the
song brings forth a typical Shakespearean play on words - Peter: "Why
music with her silver sound?" Hugh Rebek: say silver sound because
musicians sound for silver".
Full fathom five and Where the bee sucks
are two contrasted and charming songs sung by that "insubstantial
creature of the air", Ariel in "The Tempest". The composer Robert
Johnson was a member of Shakespeare's company "The King's Men" from
1609 until 1623, and was a musician closely associated with both the
public theatre and the courtly maske. These two songs were probably
used in the first performance of "The Tempest" in 1611.
O death rock me asleep. This song is referred to by
Pistol in "Henry IV" when he says "Then death rock me asleep, abridge
my doleful days." The setting used here with its repetitive, bell-like
lute accompaniment comes from a manuscript in the British Library.
O mistress mine is another well known song of the period.
The melody is anonymous, but it appears in a number of contemporary
versions. We have chosen to use the setting by Thomas Morley, from his
"Consort Lessons" of 1599.
The Battle Galliard is an arrangement of the galliard by John Dowland.
The play "Twelfth Night" abounds in music and musical references.
Indeed, its opening lines are "If music be the food of love play
on." In a discussion of dances, many of the popular dances of the
time are also mentioned, including the galliard, coranto, jig and
sink-a pace. Farewell dear love is quoted by Sir Toby
Belch; the music is taken from Robert Jones's "Songs and Ayres" of 1601.
Last Will and Testament. The instrumentation of this pavan is
typical of that used in the covered or "indoor" theatres; an intimate
mixture of "quiet" instruments - recorders and viols. In the play
"Cymbeline", musicians are called for and are asked to play "...a
very excellent good conceited thing:" in other words a polyphonic
piece such as the pavan and "....after a wonderful, sweet air with
admirable rich words to it." - the song Hark, hark the lark.
Both the pavan and the song are examples of Shakespeare's use of music
as a theatrical device. The music acts as relief from the atmosphere of
tragedy which pervades the previous scene - it is also used to mark the
passing of time, night being transformed into day.
How should I your true love know? is sung by the mad Ophelia,
and the song is given the stage direction "Ophelia - her hair
hanging down, sings and plays upon a lute." The melody is another
ancient ballad tune which attracted the serious Elizabethan musicians.
William Byrd made a setting of it, as did John Dowland; calling the
ballad by its traditional name of "Walsingham" he used
the simple melody as a basis for his brilliantly complex set of lute
variations.
Robin or "Bonny sweet robin" is a traditional melody set
by Dowland. Ophelia quotes part of the text in her deranged ramblings.
This quotation together with the jig she sings, Tomorrow is St.
Valentine's Day, testify to her insanity, as the bawdy texts of
both of these pieces are unbecoming to one so chaste.
Take o take those lips away. This beautiful song has been
attributed to John Wilson, as well as to Robert Johnson; both musicians
closely connected with the Shakespearean theatre. The song, performed
in "Measure for Measure" by a boy musician is sung to the jilted
Marianna on her first presentation to the audience, the text ably
illustrates "the continuance of her affection..."
It was a lover and his lass is one of the most well known
of all songs connected with Shakespeare. This famous version by Thomas
Morley was published in 1600 and comes from his "Ayres or Little Short
Songs".