Bridging the Centuries 2 Songs from Shakespeare’S Plays, Then and Now Love Songs of Petrarch and the Song of Songs
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Early Music Hawaii presents Bridging the Centuries 2 Songs from Shakespeare’s Plays, Then and Now Love Songs of Petrarch and the Song of Songs The Early Music Hawaii Chamber Singers Georgine Stark and Naomi Castro soprano Karyn Castro and Diane Koshi alto Karol Nowicki and Randy Reynolds tenor Jeremy Wong and Keane Ishii bass Katherine Crosier keyboard Jeremy Wong conductor Saturday, April 2, 2016, 7:30 pm Lutheran Church of Honolulu 1730 Punahou Street Saturday, April 9, 2016, 5:00 pm Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity 77-165 Lako Street, Kailua-Kona This program is supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaii and by the National Foundation for the Arts Program Please hold applause until the pause between each “set” 1. Poems by Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ) and Ruffo I Vidi in Terra Baldassare Donato (1529-1603) Franz Liszt (1811-1896) Io Piango (Petrarch) Luca Marenzio (1553-1599) (Ruffo) Morten Lauridsen (b.1943) 2. From the Song of Songs Nigra Sum Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) Pablo Casals (1876-1973) Ego Flos Campi Jacob Clemens non Papa (1510-1556) I am the Rose of Sharon William Billings (1746-1800) Intermission 3. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (and other plays) Ah Robin, Gentle Robin William Cornysh (1468-1523) Over Hill, Over Dale Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) 4. Two Gentlemen of Verona Who is Silvia? Anon (16th century) George Shearing (1919-2011) 5. Twelfth Night & Measure for Measure O Mistress Mine Thomas Morley (1558-1602) Matt Harris (b. 1956) Take, O Take Those Lips Away J. Wilson (early 17th century) Matt Harris 6. The Tempest Come unto These Yellow Sands Anon (17th century) The Master, the Swabber Anon (16th century) Where the Bee Sucks Robert Johnson (1583-1633) Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies Robert Johnson Ralph Vaughan Williams 2 Bridging the Centuries During the 2014-2015 concert season, the EMH Chamber Singers presented “Bridging the Centuries,” contrasting 16th century sacred motets with modern settings of the same texts. The program, designed by the late Carl Crosier, was performed in his memory in Honolulu and Kealakekua. Appreciative audiences inspired us to reprise the theme with secular music this season. Happily, it coincides with the 4th centenary of William Shakespeare’s death in April 1616, and the songs from the Bard’s plays, then and now, feature exclusively in the second half of the program. But there are many other love songs from 16th century Europe based on great poetry which we wished to share at the same time; they occupy the first half of this program. Petrarch and The Song of Songs Francesco Petrarca was the first great poet of the Renaissance in 14th century Italy. While studying in Avignon, he first saw Laura, a young married beauty. She inspired him with a passion which has become proverbial for its constancy and purity - she may not even have known of his existence. More than 350 sonnets, the Canzionere, were addressed to her and inspired a multitude of 16th century Italian madrigal composers — and many others since. Baldassare Donato’s lovely setting of Sonnet #156, I vidi in terra, opens the program. In the 19th century, Franz Liszt was also taken by Petrarch’s passion and composed his own songs for Petrarch’s Laura, including I vidi. Luca Marenzio was a more famous 16th century composer of both secular and sacred madrigals. His setting of another Petrarch sonnet, Io piango, is paired with a similar text by the poet Ruffo set by one of today’s most prolific American composers, Morten Lauridsen, in a series titled Six “Fire Songs” on Italian Renaissance Poems. While it is from the Old Testament, The Song of Songs is one of the most evocative love songs of all time. It was immensely popular with 16th century Italian madrigalists as an opportunity to introduce their love poetry legitimately to church services. To this day, composers have followed their example. Claudio Monteverdi’s Nigra sum—I am dark but comely was included in his Vespers of 1610 and is paired with a beautiful setting for a trio of women by the 20th century giant Pablo Casals. The extended text of The Rose of Sharon is an irresistibly bright finale by William Billings, the self-taught Boston tanner who led the popular movement of the 18th century Singing Schools which defined a new genre of distinctively American music, from folk hymns to gospel songs and psalm tunes. Songs from Shakespeare’s Plays Scholastic discussions surrounding the significance of music in Shakespeare’s plays abound. He was no musician but, with his deep understanding of popular culture, he used the tunes and verses every spectator would have known by heart to illuminate characters, changing scenes, magic interventions and atmosphere. More than 100 songs, snatches of or references to songs are scattered through the plays. Few 3 contemporary composers are known to have produced original music because the audience would have known the tunes already. Three popular exceptions included in today’s program include Thomas Morley’s O Mistress Mine (Twelfth Night) and Robert Johnson’s Where the Bee Sucks and Full Fathom Five (The Tempest). The most popular tune recognized today, Greensleeves, enjoys only a passing reference in The Merry Wives of Windsor. William Cornysh’s Ah Robin is also a reference, from nearly a century earlier, to Robin Goodfellow, alias the fairies’ agent Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. All of the original songs are quite short. Where direct compositions do not exist, we have used the ones identified by the expert Ross Duffin in his huge volume, Shakespeare’s Songbook. Composers throughout the ages have delighted in recreating music for Shakespeare —in opera, theater, incidental music, individual songs and arrangements. Ralph Vaughan Williams has recreated the busy, errand-running Puck in Over Hill, Over Dale and the mysterious appeal of Ariel in Full Fathom Five. George Shearing captures the gentle envy of Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona with Who is Silvia? Matt Harris, a popular 21st century composer in New York, has (so far) published 24 songs in five Shakespeare volumes for ensemble performance. The clown Feste tailors O Mistress Mine to suit the carefree character of Toby and Andrew in Twelfth Night, and Mariana’s brooding over her betrayal in Take, O Take Those Lips Away from Measure for Measure. However you care to interpret Shakespeare’s intent, please enjoy today’s short selection of music for its own sake. Ian Capps, The Early Muse, Hawaii Public Radio Texts (Italian and Latin texts in English translation only) I vidi in terra I saw on earth angelic qualities and heavenly beauties unique in the world, so that the memory pleases and pains me, for whatever I look on seems dreams, shadows and smoke. And I saw those two beautiful lights weeping that have a thousand times made the sun envious; and I heard amid sighs words that would make mountains move and rivers stand still. Love, wisdom, worth, piety and sorrow made, weeping, a sweeter music than any other to be heard in the world; and the heavens were so intent upon the harmony that no leaf on any branch was seen to move, so much sweetness filled the air and the wind. 4 Io Piango (Petrarch) I weep and she dries my face with her hand, and then she sighs sweetly and speaks words that might shatter stone; and afterwards departs, along with sleep. (Ruffo) I weep, for the grief makes me cry, since I can find no other remedy for my fire. So trapped by love am I that ever I lie in torment, but the more I cry the less pain I feel. What cruel, unheard of fate that silence gives me death and weeping life! Nigra sum I am dark but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem. Therefore the King hath loved me and hath brought me into his chamber and said unto me: “Rise up, my love, and come away; for lo, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone; the flowers appear in our land, the time of pruning is at hand.” Ego flos campi (Clemens and Billings) I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valley. As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. (Billings continues) I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, his banner over me was Love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of Love. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, that you stir not up nor awake my love till he please. The voice of my beloved; behold, he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved spake, and said unto me: “Rise up, my fair one, and come away; for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.” Ah, Robin Ah, Robin, gentle Robin, tell me how thy lemman (lover) doth and thou shall know of mine. My lady is unkind, I wis (know); alack, why is she so? She loveth another better than me and yet she will say no. I cannot think (understand) such doubleness, for I find women true. In faith, my lady loves me well; she will change for no new.