{"id":1078,"date":"2016-03-13T22:19:55","date_gmt":"2016-03-13T21:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.elizabethanpartsongs.nl\/wordpress\/?page_id=1078"},"modified":"2016-09-26T12:38:24","modified_gmt":"2016-09-26T10:38:24","slug":"part-2-complete","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethanpartsongs.nl\/wordpress\/contents-summaries\/three-elizabethan-partsongs\/part-2-complete\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE ART OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A textcritical approach of the Elizabethan partsongs<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>P<\/b>RELUDE<\/b><\/p>\n

A short introduction to the second part of this paper.<\/i><\/p>\n

One of the most outstanding features of the human mind, is its strange\u00a0incapability to accept – or even to recognize – the most obvious facts. That is\u00a0to say: inconvenient obvious facts.\u00a0Such an ostrich like attitude is in general no help to improve knowledge. But\u00a0this appears not always to be a disadvantage. As demonstrated in the case\u00a0of that lecture, back in the sixties, on a seventeenth\u00a0century painting. The renowned expert vividly explained to his audience a rather\u00a0famous picture of a young lady in every detail, the use of symbols included.\u00a0Yet he managed to give no clue whatsoever on the motives of an attractive\u00a0girl, to offer the beholder a plate overcrowded with oysters, while moving\u00a0backwards into her bedroom with an inviting expression on her face.<\/p>\n

At least he had achieved that his audience did admire this masterpiece.<\/p>\n

As a rule, however, it is to a disastrous effect when experts submerge their\u00a0heads in sand. Take for instance all those admiring comments on the short\u00a0Elizabethan love song\u00a0\u2018O Mistress Mine\u2019\u00a0<\/em>(Also known as\u00a0‘Carpe Diem’<\/em>). The author being William Shakespeare himself is apparently all it takes to leave a dramatic collapse of\u00a0quality – taking place in only twelve lines – unmentioned. There is in fact as\u00a0little poetry in the final triplet as there is clothing on an emperor in a certain\u00a0tale by Andersen.\u00a0Yet, the title of OMM should be written in capitals. Its final chord might\u00a0sound a little disappointing at first, but for those willing to accept this, there is a host of hidden extra\u2019s in this song. Turning it into a box where sweets\u00a0compacted lie.<\/p>\n

The courage to bring Shakespeare down to one\u2019s own level, is of course\u00a0only to be found in another genius: in 1913 it was the Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) who linked\u00a0\u2018O Mistress Mine\u2019<\/em>\u00a0to two\u00a0other poems, in which the collapse of quality is much easier to admit.<\/p>\n

The first part of this triplet, titled\u00a0\u2018An impossible combination\u2019<\/em>, demonstrated\u00a0in which way this set of three independent poems by different authors\u00a0establishes a single story about reduced virtue. Reason to regard this cycle,\u00a0so to speak, as a singularity. And as modern physics learns; a singularity is\u00a0a spot where a large quantity of matter is concentrated in little space. From\u00a0the amount of information stored in following 33 lines, and its reluctancy to\u00a0reveal itself, one might conclude the authors of this Three-Part Elizabethan\u00a0Song were way ahead of their time.<\/p>\n

Sweet Day\u00a0<\/b>(ca. 1625)<\/p>\n

Sweet day! so cool, so calm, so bright,
\nThe bridal of the earth and sky,
\nThe dew shall weep thy fall tonight;
\n——-<\/span>For thou must die.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Sweet spring! full of sweet days and roses,<\/em>
\nA box where sweets compacted lie,<\/em>
\nMy music shows ye have your closes,<\/em>
\n——-<\/span>And all must die.<\/em><\/p>\n

Only a sweet and virtuous soul,<\/em>
\nLike\u00a0seasoned timber, never gives;
\n<\/span>But though the whole world turn to coal,
\n<\/span>——-<\/span>Then chiefly lives.<\/em><\/p>\n

——<\/span><\/p>\n

The Willow Song \u00a0\u00a0<\/b>(1603\/4)<\/p>\n

The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,
\n——-<\/span>Sing all a green willow;
\nHer hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,
\n——-<\/span>Sing, willow, willow, willow:
\nThe fresh streams ran by her, and murmur\u2019d her moans;
\n——-<\/span>Sing, willow, willow, willow;
\nHer salt tears fell from her, and soften\u2019d the stones;
\n——-<\/span>Sing, willow, willow, willow:
\nSing all a green willow must be my garland.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0—-<\/span><\/p>\n

O M<\/b>ISTRESS<\/b>\u00a0M<\/b>INE \u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>(1599)<\/p>\n

O mistress mine! where are you roaming?<\/em>
\nO! stay and hear; your true love\u2019s coming,<\/em>
\n—–<\/span>That can sing both high and low.<\/em>
\nTrip no further, pretty sweeting;<\/em>
\nJourneys end in lovers meeting,<\/em>
\n—–<\/span>Every wise man\u2019s son doth know.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

What is love? \u2018t is not hereafter;<\/em>
\nPresent mirth hath present laughter;<\/em>
\n—–<\/span>What\u2019s to come is still unsure:<\/em>
\nIn delay there lies no plenty;<\/em>
\nThen come kiss me, sweet-and-twenty,<\/em>
\n—–<\/span>Youth\u2019s a stuff will not endure.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

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enter a comment<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n<\/b><\/p>\n

CONTENTS <\/strong><\/p>\n

Part One<\/a> ; or, An Impossible Combination<\/em><\/p>\n

Part Two ; or, Adults Only<\/em><\/p>\n