English composer, Thomas Morley, chose mainly to compose lighter forms of music. A more serious type of vocal music was the madrigal. This seriousness was reflected in the type of poetry chosen and the manner in which it was set to music.
While Morley rarely delved into the world of the ultra-serious, his madrigal, April is in my Mistress' face, is a remarkable example of his concisely elegant and refined style.
In the text, one month from each season of the year is used metaphorically to describe the characteristics of the poet's "mistress." The text is a translation of Nel vis'ha un vago Aprile, composed by Orazio Vecchi from his Book of Canzonets à 6, though Morley did not use Vecchi's music.
The turn from sweet, tertian duets used for April and July to minor, melancholic subdominant and mediant harmonies for September and "cold" December is an effective means of depicting the dual-faceted nature of the lady in the poem, and perhaps of love itself.
While Morley rarely delved into the world of the ultra-serious, his madrigal, April is in my Mistress' face, is a remarkable example of his concisely elegant and refined style.
In the text, one month from each season of the year is used metaphorically to describe the characteristics of the poet's "mistress." The text is a translation of Nel vis'ha un vago Aprile, composed by Orazio Vecchi from his Book of Canzonets à 6, though Morley did not use Vecchi's music.
The turn from sweet, tertian duets used for April and July to minor, melancholic subdominant and mediant harmonies for September and "cold" December is an effective means of depicting the dual-faceted nature of the lady in the poem, and perhaps of love itself.
April is in my Mistress' face,
And July in her eyes hath place.
Within her bosom is September,
But in her heart, a cold December.
Abril está en la cara de mi señora
Y Julio en sus ojos tenía lugar
dentro de su pecho es Septiembre
pero en su corazòn, un frío Diciembre.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario