Merciles Beautè. Michael Scherperel. a song for baritone and cello. with words by. Geoffrey Chaucer

Transcription

1 Merciles eautè a song or baritone and cello by Michael Schererel with words by Georey Chaucer

2 Chaucer s Merciles eautè and Middle English ronunciation Middle English was in a state o great lux during Chaucer s time There were large regional variants in orthograhy, ronunciation, and even grammar and syntax The suggestions or ronunciation made here are ust that: suggestions The comoser makes no claim to being a scholar in Medieval languages but he has consulted at least one such or some validation Vowels are generally those which most singers consider Italian vowels There was a henomenon in English known as the Great Vowel Shit which was beginning even in Chaucer s day and was retty much comlete by Shakeseare s In Middle English, a is ah, e is ay, and i is ee (none o these are dihthongs, however) y the time o Elizabeth the First, a had become ay, e had become ee, and i had become the dihthong aye This makes Middle English much more diicult to hear than it is to read Words such as I and me look like what they are but would be heard as ee and may The inlectional e at the end o words is nearly always ronounced, so we have loh-vuh rather than luv or the word selled l-o-v-e Liaison between adacent vowels is common and in music, ust as roblematical as in French (Modern or Middle) The comoser elected to let the scansion dictate or the most art (These oems are iambic entameter with 10- or 11- syllable lines) There are no silent consonants: know is kuh-noh The digrah gh is ronounced like German ch : though is thoux Dihthongs are alling, ie the irst vowel is the rominent one: availeth is ah-viuh-leth ; trouthe is TROu-thuh The comoser has attemted to ut the text in IA under the original Middle English text in the music The comoser claims, as with Middle English, no great exertise in IA (disclaimer) There ollows here the lexical and orthograhical orm o the text that the comoser emloyed or the creation o these songs This oem is commonly called a trile rondel, though the sections are not in any o the strict French

3 rondel orms In some anthologies, the three sections are searated by subtitles This aroach led the comoser to write three searate songs but with the intent always that the entire set would be sung as a single iece Merciles beautè Your yën two wol slee me sodenly, I may the beautè o hem not sustene, So woundeth hit through-out my herte kene And but your word wol helen hastily My hertes wounde, whyl that hit is grene, Your yën two wol slee me sodenly, I may the beautè o hem not sustene Uon my trouthe I sey yow eithully, That ye ben o my ly and deeth the quene; For with my deeth the trouthe shal be sene Your yën two wol slee me sodenly, I may the beautè o hem not sustene, So woundeth hit through-out my herte kene So hath your beautè ro your herte chaced itee, that me ne availeth not to leyne; For Daunger halt your mercy in his cheyne Giltless my deeth thus han ye me urchaced; I sey yow sooth, me nedeth not to eyne; So hath your beautè rom your herte chaced itee, that me ne availeth not to leyne Allas! That nature hath in yow comassed So greet beautè, that no man may atteyne To mercy, though he sterve or the eyne So hath your beautè rom your herte chaced itee, that me ne availeth not to leyne; For Daunger halt your mercy in his cheyne

4 Sin I ro Love escaed am so at, I never thenk to ben in his rison lene; Sin I am ree, I counte him not a bene He may answere, and seye this or that; I do no ors, I seke right as I mene Sin I ro Love escaed am so at, I never thenk to ben in his rison lene Love hath my name y-strike out o his sclat, And he is strike out o my bokes clene For ever-mo; ther is non other mene Sin I ro Love escaed am so at, I never thenk to ben in his rison lene; Sin I am ree, I counte him not a bene Many modern translations are available Due to ossible coyright issues, the comoser rerains rom roviding any here and encourages the singer (and cellist) to consult one (or more) o the innumerable online resources A ew words which may rove roblematical are translated here: Yën eyes leyne comlain Daunger ride (ronounced, incidentally, down-er ) Giltless doubtless Sooth indeed Sclat slate Fors other ( I do no ors I care not )

5 Georey Chaucer Merciles eautè or Thomas Cavendish irst rondel Michael Schererel aritone (q arox 80) Cello (q arox 80) reely b b accel , 3 Ó reely # Í b w ŸI Í Your y - ën two wol slee me so-den -ly # # ŸI 3 3 # ŸI b n 7 U 3 Ó so-den-ly; I 7 U rit b 3 b b 2011 Michael Schererel All rights reserved

6 2 Merciles eautè 11 b b 3 b b b b 11 may b the beau té o hem not sus - te - ne, So 3 b b b 1 b b 3 b b b 1 wound-eth hit through - out my her - te ke - ne And b b b b b b 3 b b 17 b bb b b b n but 17 b bbb your word wol he-len has-ti -ly My hert - es woun-de whyl that hit is b b b b n n b 20 b Ó N reely sotto voce 20 gre - ne, Your y - 3 b n N ŸI 3 3 Í colla voce w ŸI ën two wol slee me

7 Merciles eautè 3 23 b> b b a temo rit b N N Ó F 23 so-den -ly, I may the beau - té o hem not sus - te - ne U - # # # # Ÿ I 3 3 # ŸI a temo rit b F 26 b 3 b b b 3 on my trouthe I sey you eith-ul -ly, That ye ben o my ly and deeth the 26 b b 3 bb bb b b b b N 29 3 que - ne; For with my deeth the trou -the shal be se - bbb b b ne 3 # Ó N reely sotto voce 32 N ŸI 3 Í Your colla voce y ën two wol slee me w ŸI

8 Merciles eautè 3 b> b b b b b - - a temo 3 so-den -ly, I may the beau - té o hem not sus - te - ne, # # # # Ÿ I # ŸI n So Ÿ w È riten 37 n # 3 rit # # wound-eth hit through - out my her - te ke - ne 37 a temo # 3 # rit a temo # # n n n π # # 3 rit U attacca con sordino

9 secounde rondel aritone 5 q = 60 Cello (sul A) 5 q = 60 con sordino (sul D) # # So hath your beau - tè ro your her -te chac-ed i -tee, that me ne'a- # # # 7 b 7 b b vai - leth not to ley - ne, ley - ne; For Daun b b>, b, b b b

10 6 Merciles eautè 10 b b - ger halt your mer - cy in his chey - ne 10 b bn b b 13 Ó Ó F b b b bb Gilt b b b F - less my deeth thus han ye me ur- b b b b 16 b chac - ed, I sey yow sooth, me ne - deth not to b riten 19 b b b b b b b eyn - e; So hath your beaut - è rom your hert-e cha - ced i - tee, b riten sotto voce a temo a temo π

11 Merciles eautè 7 22 b b, riten b that me ne'a-vail-eth not to ley - ne, ley - ne b a temo (sul D) b b b b izz riten o ȯ b Al - las! That na - - ture hath in yow com - () 25 o (izz) ȯ 27 b 27 o ȯ b b b ȯ b b as - sed So greet beau - té, that no man may at - tey - ne to Ó b b o b N b b b b b mer-cy, though he ster - ve or the - - -, # #

12 8 Merciles eautè 3 b sotto voce b 3 ey - ne So hath your beau -tè rom your her-te cha - ced i - tee # π b 37 b N, Ó Ó 37 that me ne'a-vail - eth not to ley - ne, ley - ne; b b b b b izz, For # 0 # # Daun-ger halt your mer - cy in his chey - ne 0 # izz Ó attacca senza sordino

13 thridde rondel aritone 7 8 e = 120 Cello e = 120 # # senza sordino izz # # izz # Sin I ro Love es - ca - ed am so 3 izz # # # izz 6 # # at, I nev - er thenk to ben in his ris - on 6 # # # N izz 9 b 9 le cla! ne; Sin I ro Love es - b n r F b izz

14 10 Merciles eautè 11 b b n # RÔ # # # 11 ca -ed am so at, I nev - er thenk to ben in his ris - on b # # # # # 13 n alsetto le - ne; Sin col legno 13 n I am ree, 15 ull voice # b N U 15 I count - e him not a be - ne Ó b R Ó izz # l l U riten 18 F 18 a temo # # F izz He # # may izz

15 Merciles eautè #, # an - swere and se - ye this or that, and se - ye this or that; 20 # # izz # 23 # # I do no ors, I se - ke right as I 23 # # # N izz 26 b 26 me cla! ne Sin I ro Love es - b n r izz b 28 b b n # RÔ # # # 28 ca -ed am so at, I nev - er thenk to ben in his ris - on b # # # # #

16 12 Merciles eautè 30 n Ó U # # # # le 30 - ne Lo - ve hath my na - me y - strike col legno b # n rit # U a temo # 33 b out o his 33 # n b # sclat, F # # # # And # # col legno he is strik - e, and # # 36 # # # # b # n # n # 36 he is stri ke out o my bok - es out o my # # # # n # n izz # 39 n Ó - riten U 39 bok - es cle - ne For ev - er - mo; izz b col legno izz b col legno riten U

17 Merciles eautè 13 2 a temo 2 a temo # # izz # # izz # Sin I ro Love es - ca - ed am so izz # # # izz 7 # # at, I nev - er thenk to ben in his ris - on 7 # # # N izz 50 b 50 le cla! ne Sin I ro Love es - b n r b izz

18 1 Merciles eautè 52 b b n # RÔ # # # 52 ca -ed am so at, I nev - er thenk to ben in his ris - on b # # # # # 5 n alsetto le - ne; Sin 5 n I am ree, col legno 56 ull voice # b # Ó 56 I count - e him I count - e Ó b R Ó him b # n b col legno not # # - a # Ÿ I be - Ó ne r # izz