Ah, Robin, Gentle Robin. William Cornysh, the Younger. Tallis Scholars. Peter Phillips, director скачать в хорошем качестве

Ah, Robin, Gentle Robin. William Cornysh, the Younger. Tallis Scholars. Peter Phillips, director

00:00 Title 00:10 Traditional score 02:35 Original Manuscript 02:59 Score with original clefs and note values 05:29 Score without bar lines, original clefs and note values Ah, Robin, Gentle Robin William Cornysh, the Younger (1465 – October 1523) Manuscript c.1513 in the Henry VIII manuscript, no. 49 Tallis Scholars Peter Phillips, director Comments by Rory Johnston What strikes me about this piece, other than its gentle beauty, is its simple construction. The piece is made up of three voices of a similar range, cycling round the same four-bar phrase with slightly different layering each time. We start with the first voice, introducing what we imagine is the tune. This voice then moves to becomes the accompanying bass line and another voice enters with the initial tune, somewhat cementing its primacy. Suddenly, though, we are introduced to a third voice, above the other two, which incorporates a much different part of the voice, along with a beautiful rising fourth. At this point all three voices work together with a subtle equality that is, in my opinion, just sublime – I could probably listen to this four-bar phrase for the rest of eternity and never tire of it. Now that the refrain is set we are given two verses sung by a different part each time. This weaving of the tune, both in terms of who is given the verse but also in the way the parts generally wind around each other pitch-wise, serves to amplify this sense of connection between the voices, leaving a sound that is unified in musical intent and emotion. An important lesson to take from this piece is that of patience with ideas. This four-bar phrase is beautiful, but it would be very easy, were we composing the piece anew, to feel the need to move on and develop the idea as we moved from verse to refrain and so on. The strength of this piece comes from its confidence to set forth the idea it wants to present and to let us hear it – and I mean truly hear it, not just experience it once in passing. At many points within your compositional life you will write things that you like that you feel are worth repeating, and pieces like this show us a way of dealing with that in a fashion which keeps the music fresh and alive. By staggering the opening of the piece, only introducing one layer at a time, we not only get to experience the building of the texture, but we are gradually brought into the music so that when the texture arrives in its fullest glory it is much more impactful than had we begun the piece with all three voices together. This both prolongs the idea but also makes the idea itself more powerful and satisfying. Rory Johnston Ah, Robin, gentle, Robin, Tell me how thy leman doth and thou shalt know of mine. My lady is unkind I wis, Alack why is she so? She lov'th another better than me, and yet she will say no. Ah, Robin, gentle, Robin, Tell me how thy leman doth and thou shalt know of mine. I cannot think such doubleness for I find women true, In faith my lady lov'th me well she will change for no new. Ah, Robin, gentle, Robin, Tell me how thy leman doth and thou shalt know of mine.