Almost every single word in their scores needs a carefull look, if only to recognize the remarkable fact that in some cases even the shape of their letters is tale-telling. Such a look demands to reproduce at this spot the complete wordsequence. Which, as it happens, occurs to be less easy than one should expect; in spite of leaving out nothing but a few irrelevancies, this transcription from the 1995 Galliard-edition is all but complete:
THREE ELIZABETHAN PART SONGS
I
Sweet Day
George Herbert————————————————-Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sweet day! so cool, so calm, so bright,
The bridal of the earth and sky,
The dew shall weep thy fall tonight;
——-For thou must die.
Sweet spring! full of sweet days and roses,
A box where sweets compacted lie,
My music shows ye have your closes,
——-And all must die.
Only a sweet and virtuous soul,
Like seasoned timber, never gives;
But though the whole world turn to coal,
——-Then chiefly lives.
Copyright 1913 by Stainer & Bell Ltd.
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THREE ELIZABETHAN PART SONGS
II
The Willow Song
Words from Shakespeare’s “Othello”————-Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams
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, willow, willow:
The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur’d her moans;
——-Sing, willow, willow, willow;
Her salt tears fell from her, and soften’d the stones;
——-Sing, willow, willow, willow:
Sing all a green willow must be my garland.
Copyright 1913 by Joseph Williams Limited.
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THREE ELIZABETHAN PART SONGS
III
O MISTRESS MINE
William Shakespeare———————————————Ralp Vaughan Williams
O mistress mine! where are you roaming?
O! stay and hear; your true love’s coming,
—–That can sing both high and low.
Trip no further, pretty sweeting;
Journeys end in lovers meeting,
—–Every wise man’s son doth know.
What is love? ‘t is 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.
Copyright 1913 Ralph Vaughan Williams assigned to Stainer & Bell Ltd.
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