Season of Song - Poetry

Seasons of song | 09 FEB

Program

Three Vocalises (1958) (wordless)

Prelude – Juel Riggall
Scherzo – Bethan Ellsmore
Quasi Menuetto – Naomi Summers

How can a tree but wither (1896) – Bethan Ellsmore

Poem by Thomas, Lord Vaux (1509- 1556)

Three songs from Shakespeare (1925) - Naomi Summers

Text by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Take, O Take
When Icicles Hang by the Wall
Orpheus with his Lute

To Daffodils (1895) – Bethan Ellsmore

Poem by Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

Excerpts from Seven Songs from The Pilgrims Progress (pre-1951)

Text from The King James Bible [1, 4, 7], Ursula Vaughan Williams (1911 - 2007) [5], and John Bunyan(1628-1688) [6]

No 1. Watchful’s Song – Liane Keegan

No. 4 - The Song of the Leaves of Life & the Water of Life – Bethan & Juel

No. 5 - The Song of Vanity Fair – Naomi Sumers

No. 6 - The Woodcutter's Song – Juel Riggall

No. 7 - The Bird’s Song – Juel Riggall

Five Mystical Songs (1906-11) – Liane Keegan

Poems by George Herbert 1593-1633

Easter
I got me Flowers
Love bade me welcome
The Call
Antiphon

Poetry

How can a tree but wither (1896)

by Thomas, Lord Vaux (1509- 1556)

Bethan Ellsmore - Soprano

How can a tree but wither
That hath not root to hold?
How can a vine but waste and pine
That hath no stake uphold?

How can the bird but sorrow
That lacketh food to feed?
How can the heart but faint and smart
That wanteth comfort's seed?

To see the mind without a joy,
The body sick and weak,
Doth show what pains and grievous gains
The soul must daily break.

Three songs from Shakespeare (1925)

by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Naomi Summers - Soprano

1. Take, O Take

(Measure for Measure, Act IV, Scene I)

Take, O take those lips away,
That so sweetly were forsworn;
And those eyes, the break of day,
Lights that do mislead the morn:
But my kisses bring again,
Seals of love, but sealed in vain,
Sealed in vain.

2. When Icicles Hang by the Wall

(Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act V, Scene II)

When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipped and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl:
Tu-whit, tu-whoo, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

3. Orpheus with his Lute

(Henry VIII, Act III, Scene I)

Orpheus with his lute made trees,
And the mountain tops that freeze,
Bow themselves, when he did sing:
To his music plants and flowers
Ever sprung, as sun and showers
There had made a lasting spring.

Everything that heard him play,
Even the billows of the sea,
Hung their heads and then lay by.
In sweet music is such art,
Killing care and grief of heart
Fall asleep, or hearing, die.

To Daffodils (1895)
by Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

Bethan Ellsmore - Soprano

Fair daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the evensong;
And, having pray’d together, we
Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away,
Like to the summer’s rain;
Or as the pearls of morning’s dew,
Ne’er to be found again.

Exerpts from The Pilgrim's progress

No. 1

Watchful’s Song

Text from The King James Bible

Liane Keegan - Dramatic Contralto

Into thy hands, O lord, into thy hands, O Lord,

I commend my spirit, into thy hands, O Lord.

Except the Lord keep the house the watchman waketh but in vain.

The Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep peace: the whole earth is at rest and is quiet.

Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit, into thy hands, O Lord.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh even from the Lord who hath made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved.

He that keepeth thee shall not sleep.

Behold, he that keepeth thee shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord himself is my keeper, he shall preserve thee from all evil: yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul from this time forth forevermore: from this time forth forevermore.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit, into thy hands, O Lord.

No. 4
The Song of the Leaves of Life and
the Water of Life

Text from The King James Bible

Bethan Ellsmore and Juel Riggal

Unto him that overcometh shall be given of the tree of Life
Which is in the midst of the Paradise of God
On either side of the river groweth the Tree of Life
The Leaves of the Tree are for thy healing
In the midst of that fair City flows the river of Water of Life clear as
Crystal
Who so will, let him take of the Water of Life freely
Who so drinketh of this water shall never thirst
Take thou the Leaves of the Tree of Life
So shalt thou enter in through the Gates of the City

No. 5

The Song of Vanity Fair

Text from Ursula Vaughan Williams

(1911 - 2007)

Naomi Summers - Soprano

We cannot publish the text in its current form as it is still under copyright protection.

The Woodcutter's Song

Text by John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Juel Riggall - Mezzo Soprano

He that is down need fear no fall, He that is low, no pride;

He that is humble, ever shall Have God to be his Guide.

I am content with what I have, Little be it or much;

And, Lord, contentment still I crave,

Because Thou savest such. Fullness to such a burden is,

That go on pilgrimage;

Here little, and hereafter bliss, Is best from age to age.

The Bird's Song

Text from The King James Bible

Juel Riggall - Mezzo Soprano

The Lord is my shepherd: therefore can I lack nothing.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

FIVE MYSTIC SONGS

by George Herbert 1593-1633

Liane Keegan - Dramatic Contralto

Easter

Rise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delays,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him may'st rise;
That, as his death calcined thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and much more, Just.

Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part
With all thy art.
The cross taught all wood to resound his name
Who bore the same.
His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key
Is best to celebrate this most high day.

Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song
Pleasant and long:
Or since all music is but three parts vied,
And multiplied;
O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,
And make up our defects with his sweet art.

I got me flowers

I got me flowers to strew thy way;
I got me boughs off many a tree:
But thou wast up by break of day,
And brought'st thy sweets along with thee.

The Sun arising in the East,
Though he give light, and the East perfume;
If they should offer to contest
With thy arising, they presume.

Can there be any day but this,
Though many suns to shine endeavour?
We count three hundred, but we miss:
There is but one, and that one ever.

Love bade me welcome

Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lack'd anything.

A guest, I answer'd, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?

Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
So I did sit and eat.

The Call

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
Such a Life, as killeth death.

Come, My Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a Light, as shows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy, as none can move:
Such a Love, as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joys in love.

Antiphon

Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!

The heavens are not too high,
His praise may thither fly:
The earth is not too low,
His praises there may grow.

Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!

The church with Psalms must shout.
No door can keep them out:
But above all, the heart
Must bear the longest part.

Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!

Text sourced from https://www.lieder.net/lieder/