Arias – index:
1. A Scotch Tune
2. An Epithalamium
3. An Evening Hymn
4. Elegy upon the Death of Queen Mary (Latin)
5. If music be the food of love
6. Lost is my quiet
7. Mad Bess
8. Man is for the woman made
9. Music for a while
10. Rondo
11. Shepherd, leave decoying
12. Sound the trumpet
13. Sweeter than roses
14. The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation
15. The knotting song
16. When first Amintas sued for a kiss
1. "A
Scotch Tune"
Text by Thomas Scott (fl. 1696-1697), from The Mock Marriage
Music by Henry Purcell, from Deliciae Musicae, Vol. III (1696)
'Twas within a furlong of Edinborough Town,
In the rosy time of year when the grass was down;
Bonny Jocky blithe and gay,
Said to Jenny making hay,
Let's sit a little (dear) and prattle, 'tis a sultry day.
He long had courted the black-brown maid,
But Jocky was a wag and would ne'er consent to wed,
Which made her Pish and Pooh,
And cry out it will not do,
I canot, cannot, wonnot, wonnot buckle to.
He told her marriage was grown a mere joke,
And that no one wedded now but the scoundrel folk,
Yet my dear thou should'st prevail,
But I know not what I ail,
I shall dream of clogs and silly dogs
With bottles at their tail;
But I'll give thee gloves and a bongrace to wear,
And a pretty filly-foal to ride out and take the air,
If thou ne'er wil't Pish and Pooh,
And cry it ne'er will do,
I cannot, cannot, wonnot, wonnot buckle to.
That you'll give me trinkets, cried she, I believe,
But ah! what in return must your poor Jenny give;
When my maiden treasure's gone,
I must gang to London-Town,
And roar and rant, and patch and paint,
And kiss for half-a-crown;
Each drunken bully oblige for pay,
And earn a hated living in an odious fulsome way,
No, no, no, it ne'er shall do,
For a wife I'll be to you,
Or I cannot, cannot, wonnot, wonnot buckle to.
2. "An
Epithalamium"
Text by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), from Midsummer Night's Dream
Music by Henry Purcell, from Orpheus Britannicus, Vol. II (1692), from The Fairy Queen, an
operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream
Thrice happy lovers, may you be for ever free
From the tormenting devil jealousy,
From all the anxious cares and strife
That attends a married life.
Be to one another true,
Kind to her as she's to you.
And since the errors of the night are past,
May he be ever constant, she be ever chaste.
3. "An
Evening Hymn"
Text by William Fuller, Lord-Bishop of London
Music by Henry Purcell, from Harmonia Sacra, Vol. I
Now, now that the sun hath veil'd his light
And bid the world goodnight;
To the soft bed my body I dispose,
But where shall my soul repose?
Dear, dear God, even in Thy arms,
And can there be any so sweet security!
Then to thy rest, O my soul!
And singing, praise the mercy
That prolongs thy days.
Hallelujah!
4. "Elegy
upon the Death of Queen Mary"
Text by Henry Parker (1604-1652)
Music by Henry Purcell, duet
O Dive custos Auriacae Domus
Et spes labantis certior imperi;
Orebus adversis vocande,
O superum, o superum decus in secundis!
Seu te fluentem pronus ad Isida
In vota fervens, in vota fervens Oxonidum chorus,
Seu te precantur, quos remoti
Unda lavat properata Cami,
Descende, descende coelo non ita creditas,
Visurus, visurus aedes praesidiis tuis,
Descende, descende visurus penates,
Penates Caesaris, et, et penetrali sacrum.
Maria musis flebilis occidit,
Maria gentis deliciae breves,
Maria, Maria occidit,
O flete Mariam, o flete Mariam,
Flete Mariam, o flete Camoenae,
O flete Divae! Flete dea moriente.
5. "If
music be the food of love"
Text by Colonel Henry Heveningham, first line by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), from
Twelfth Night
Music by Henry Purcell, from Gentleman's Journal, June 1692
If music be the food of love,
Sing on till I am fill'd with joy;
For then my list'ning soul you move
To pleasures that can never cloy.
Your eyes, your mien, your tongue declare
That you are music ev'rywhere.
Pleasures invade both eye and ear,
So fierce the transports are, they wound,
And all my senses feasted are,
Tho' yet the treat is only sound,
Sure I must perish by your charms,
Unless you save me in your arms.
6. "Lost
is my quiet"
Text by Anonymous
Music by Henry Purcell, duet for high and low voice
Lost is my quiet for ever,
Lost is life's happiest part,
Lost all my tender endeavours,
To touch an insensible heart.
But tho' my Despair is past curing,
And much undeserv'd is my fate,
I'll show by a patient enduring
My love is unmov'd as her hate.
7. "Mad
Bess"
Text by Anonymous
Music by Henry Purcell, from Orpheus Britannicus, Vol. I.
From silent shades and the Elysian groves
Where sad departed spirits mourn their loves
From crystal streams and from that country where
Jove crowns the fields with flowers all the year,
Poor senseless Bess, cloth'd in her rags and folly,
Is come to cure her lovesick melancholy.
"Bright Cynthia kept her revels late
While Mab, the Fairy Queen, did dance,
And Oberon did sit in state
When Mars at Venus ran his lance.
In yonder cowslip lies my dear,
Entomb'd in liquid gems of dew;
Each day I'll water it with a tear,
Its fading blossom to renew.
For since my love is dead and all my joys are gone,
Poor Bess for his sake
A garland will make,
My music shall be a groan.
I'll lay me down and die within some hollow tree,
The rav'n and cat,
The owl and bat
Shall warble forth my elegy.
Did you not see my love as he past by you?
His two flaming eyes, if he comes nigh you,
They will scorch up your hearts: Ladies beware ye,
Les he should dart a glance that may ensnare ye!
Hark! Hark! I hear old Charon bawl,
His boat he will no longer stay,
And furies lash their whips and call:
Come, come away, come, come away.
Poor Bess will return to the place whence she came,
Since the world is so mad she can hope for no cure.
For love's grown a bubble, a shadow, a name,
Which fools do admire and wise men endure.
Cold and hungry am I grown.
Ambrosia will I feed upon,
Drink Nectar still and sing."
Who is content,
Does all sorrow prevent?
And Bess in her straw,
Whilst free from the law,
In her thoughts is as great, great as a king.
8. "Man
is for the woman made"
Text by Peter Motteaux
Music by Henry Purcell, from Deliciae Musicae, Vol. III (1696)
Man is for the woman made,
And the woman made for man;
As the spur is for the jade,
As the scabbard for the blade,
As for digging is the spade,
As for liquor is the can,
So man is for the woman made,
And the woman made for man.
As the scepter to be sway'd,
As for night's the serenade,
As for pudding is the pan,
And to cool us is the fan,
So man is for the woman made,
And the woman made for man.
Be she widow, wife or maid,
Be she wanton, be she stayed,
Be she well or ill array'd,
Whore, bawd or harridan,
Yet man is for the woman made,
And the woman made for man.
9. "Music
for a while"
Text by John Dryden (1631-1700) and Nathaniel Lee (1653?-1692), from Oedipus
Music by Henry Purcell, from Orpheus Britannicus, Vol. II (1692?)
Music for a while
Shall all your cares beguile:
Wond'ring how your pains were eas'd
And disdaining to be pleas'd
Till Alecto free the dead
From their eternal bands,
Till the snakes drop from her head,
And the whip from our her hands.
10.
"Rondo"
Text by Anonymous
Music by Henry Purcell, from Orpheus Britannicus, Vol. II. Composed in 1695 for The
Indian Queen
I attempt from Love's sickness to fly in vain,
Since I am myself my own fever and pain.
No more now, fond heart, with pride no more swell,
Thou canst not raise forces enough to rebel.
I attempt from Love's sickness to fly in vain,
Since I am myself my own fever and pain.
For love has more pow'r and less mercy than fate,
To make us seek ruin and love those that hate.
I attempt from Love's sickness to fly in vain,
Since I am myself my own fever and pain.
11.
"Shepherd, leave decoying"
Text by Anonymous
Music by Henry Purcell, duet for high and low voice
Shepherd, shepherd leave decoying -
Pipes are sweet as summer's day;
But a little after toying
Women have the shot to pay.
Here are marriage vows for signing,
Set their mark that cannot write;
After that without repining,
Play and welcome day and night.
12.
"Sound the trumpet"
Text by Anonymous
Music by Henry Purcell, duet for high and low voice
Sound the trumpet till around
You make the listening shores rebound.
On the sprightly oboy play.
All the instruments of joy
That skilful numbers can employ
To celebrate the glory of this day.
13.
"Sweeter than roses"
Text by Anonymous
Music by Henry Purcell, from Orpheus Britannicus, Vol. I (1695) from the tragedy Pausanias
Sweeter than roses, or cool evening breeze
On a warm flowery shore, was the dear kiss,
First trembling made me freeze,
Then shot like fire all o'er.
What magic has victorious love!
For all I touch or see since that dear kiss,
I hourly prove, all is love to me.
14. "The
Blessed Virgin's Expostulation"
Text by Nahum Tate (1652-1715)
Music by Henry Purcell, from Harmonia Sacra Vol. II
Tell me, tell me some, some pitying angel,
Tell quickly, quickly, quickly say,
Where, where does my soul's sweet darling stray,
In tiger's or more cruel, more cruel cruel Herod's way?
Ah, ah rather, rather let his little, little footsteps press
Unregarded through the wilderness,
Where milder, milder, where milder savages resort,
The desert's safer, the desert's safer than a tyrant's court.
Why, why, fairest object of my love,
hy, why dost thou from my longing eyes remove?
Was it, was it a waking dream that did fortell thy wondrous birth,
Thy wondrous, wondrous birth?
No vision, no, no vision from above?
Where's Gabriel, where's Gabriel now that visited my cell?
I call, I call, I call: Gabriel! Gabriel!
He comes not.
Flatt'ring, flatt'ring hopes, farewell flatt'ring hopes, farewell.
Me Judah's daughters once caress'd,
Call'd me of mothers the most, the most bless'd.
Now fatal change, of mothers most distress'd.
How, how shall my soul its motions guide?
How, how shall I stem the various, various tide,
Whilst faith and doubt my lab'ring soul divide?
For whilst of thy dear, dear sight beguil'd,
I trust the God, but oh! I fear, but oh! I fear the child.
15. "The
knotting song"
Text by Sir Charles Sedley (1639-1701)
Music by Henry Purcell
Hears not my Phillis how the birds,
Their feather'd mates salute?
They tell their passion in their words.
Must I alone, must I alone be mute?
Phillis without a frown or smile
sat and knotted all the while.
So many months in silence past,
And yet in raging love,
Might well deserve one word at last,
My passion should approve?
Phillis without a frown or smile
sat and knotted all the while.
Must then your faithful swain expire,
And not one look obtain,
Which he to soothe his fond desire
Might pleasingly explain?
Phillis without a frown or smile
sat and knotted all the while.
16.
"When first Amintas sued for a kiss"
Text by Anonymous
Music by Henry Purcell
When first Amintas sued for a kiss,
My innocent heart was tender,
That though I push'd him away from the bliss,
My eyes declar'd my heart was won.
I fain an artful coyness would use,
Before I the fort did surrender,
But love would suffer no more such abuse
And soon, alas! my cheat was known.
He'd sit all day, and laugh and play,
A thousand pretty things would say;
My hand he squeeze, and press my knees,
'Till further on he got by degrees.
My heart, just like a vessel at sea,
Would toss when Amintas came near me,
But ah! so cunning a pilot was he,
Through doubts and fears he'd still sail on.
I thought in him no danger could be,
So wisely he knew how to steer me,
And soon, alas! was brought to agree
To taste of joys before unknown.
Well might he boast his pain not lost,
For soon he found the golden coast,
Enjoyed the ore, and touched the shore
Where never merchant went before.
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![[Henry Purcell Image]](../Dizionario/images/purcell.gif)