Lay a garland
Encyclopedia
"Lay a garland" is a popular English madrigal
composition
in E major. It was written by Robert Lucas de Pearsall
on 4 June 1840 and is scored for two soprano
s, two alto
s, two tenor
s and two basses or as it is more commonly written SSAATTBB. The piece is based on a poem from the play a The Maid's Tragedy
written in 1608-11. It has been recorded by many choirs including Cambridge Singers
, Oxford Camerata, Coro and Exultate Singers
and also been performed by notable choirs, such as BYU Singers, and the Beaumont Singers , as well as many cathedral and chapel choirs across England and worldwide. In 1854, Pearsall produced a contrafactum
of Lay a Garland, to the Latin text Tu es Petrus, dedicating it to the first bishop of St Gallen, John Peter. This is more often performed by choirs in a liturgical setting, as the original words for the music are more appropriate to a secular occasion.
play The Maid's Tragedy
Act II, Scene I.. The song is sung by Aspasia where her betrothed is forced into a marriage of convenience
to the king's mistress. The words original words are as follows:
Lay a garland on my hearse
of the dismal yew.
Maidens, willow branches wear,
say I died true.
My love was false, but I was firm
from my hour of birth..
Upon my buried body lie
lightly, gentle earth.
However Pearsall's music is set to these adapted words changed from first to third person
Lay a garland on her hearse
of dismal yew.
Maidens, willow branches wear,
say she died true.
Her love was false, but she was firm
Upon her buried body lie
lightly, thou gentle earth.
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
in E major. It was written by Robert Lucas de Pearsall
Robert Lucas de Pearsall
Robert Lucas Pearsall was an English composer.-Biography:Pearsall was born at Clifton in Bristol on 14 March 1795 into a rich, Quaker family. His father, Richard Pearsall , was an army officer and amateur musician...
on 4 June 1840 and is scored for two soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
s, two alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
s, two tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
s and two basses or as it is more commonly written SSAATTBB. The piece is based on a poem from the play a The Maid's Tragedy
The Maid's Tragedy
The Maid's Tragedy is a play by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was first published in 1619.The play was one of the earliest works in the canon of Fletcher and his collaborators that was acted by the King's Men; Fletcher would spend most of his career as that company's regular playwright...
written in 1608-11. It has been recorded by many choirs including Cambridge Singers
Cambridge Singers
Cambridge Singers is an English mixed voice chamber/choral group formed in 1981 by their director John Rutter with the primary purpose of making recordings under their own label "Collegium"....
, Oxford Camerata, Coro and Exultate Singers
Exultate Singers
The Exultate Singers is a choir based in Bristol, UK, made up of 40 adult singers. It has mostly specialised in Christian sacred music.-History:...
and also been performed by notable choirs, such as BYU Singers, and the Beaumont Singers , as well as many cathedral and chapel choirs across England and worldwide. In 1854, Pearsall produced a contrafactum
Contrafactum
In vocal music, contrafactum refers to "the substitution of one text for another without substantial change to the music"....
of Lay a Garland, to the Latin text Tu es Petrus, dedicating it to the first bishop of St Gallen, John Peter. This is more often performed by choirs in a liturgical setting, as the original words for the music are more appropriate to a secular occasion.
Words
The text is taken from the song in Beaumont and Fletcher'sBeaumont and Fletcher
Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I ....
play The Maid's Tragedy
The Maid's Tragedy
The Maid's Tragedy is a play by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was first published in 1619.The play was one of the earliest works in the canon of Fletcher and his collaborators that was acted by the King's Men; Fletcher would spend most of his career as that company's regular playwright...
Act II, Scene I.. The song is sung by Aspasia where her betrothed is forced into a marriage of convenience
Marriage of convenience
A marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than the reasons of relationship, family, or love. Instead, such a marriage is orchestrated for personal gain or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as political marriage. The phrase is a calque of - a marriage of...
to the king's mistress. The words original words are as follows:
Lay a garland on my hearse
of the dismal yew.
Maidens, willow branches wear,
say I died true.
My love was false, but I was firm
from my hour of birth..
Upon my buried body lie
lightly, gentle earth.
However Pearsall's music is set to these adapted words changed from first to third person
Lay a garland on her hearse
of dismal yew.
Maidens, willow branches wear,
say she died true.
Her love was false, but she was firm
Upon her buried body lie
lightly, thou gentle earth.