Henry Purcell - The Fairy Queen - If love's a sweet passion

Henry Purcell (1659-1695) The Fairy Queen
"If love's a sweet passion"
Veronique Gens, soprano
Les artes florissants, dir. William Christie


If Love's a Sweet Passion, why does it torment?
If a Bitter, oh tell me whence comes my content?
Since I suffer with pleasure, why should I complain,
Or grieve at my Fate, when I know 'tis in vain?
Yet so pleasing the Pain, so soft is the Dart,
That at once it both wounds me, and tickles my Heart.

I press her Hand gently, look Languishing down,
And by Passionate Silence I make my Love known.
But oh! I'm Blest when so kind she does prove,
By some willing mistake to discover her Love.
When in striving to hide, she reveals all her Flame,
And our Eyes tell each other, what neither dares Name.

Ye Gentle Spirits of the Air, appear;
Prepare, and joyn your tender Voices here.
Cath, and repeat the Trembling Sounds anew,
Soft as her Sighs and sweet as pearly dew,
Run new Division, and such Measures keep,
As when you lull the God of Love asleep.


Gemälde: J. H. Füssli, Titania erwacht, 1793/94

Véronique Gens:
http://veroniquegens.com/

Category:

Music

Tags:

• henry
• purcell
• fairy
• queen
• if
• love's
• sweet
• passion
• veronique
• gens
• les
• artes
• florissants
• christie

[wichmannsburg]

Dear Ablacsia, thank you for posting this beautiful version ( the most beautiful available on youtube, perhaps the best ever produced ). But please, couldn't you replace that absolutely awful painting by a photo of Véronique Gens ? such a gorgeous voice, such a beautiful woman... What a pleasure it would be to see her while listening to her marvellous singing.... Please, try to do so... Thanks !

[Ablacsia]

@wichmannsburg I'm sorry, I think changing an image isn't possible without deleting the video, furthermore I just use paintings or drawings in my videos. But I have added a link to the homepage of Véronique Gens, where you can find a couple of images to look while listening. :-) Kind regards, Ablacsia.

[blavatsky2009]

Queen Titania was really a tender reproach of Shakespeare directed at Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's true love was deemed an "ass" by her advisers. Just as Titania loses her adopted boy to Oberon because of her infatuation with Bottom (who becomes an asshead by Puck's magic...bottom,ass...the exquisite play on words), so Shakespeare seems to gently scold that Elizabeth would have lost her chance to have a male heir because of an ass.

[peymaania]

If love's a sweet passion why does it torment?

If a bitter, oh tell me, whence comes my content?

Since I suffer with pleasure, why should I complain,

or grieve at my fate, when I know it's in vain?

Yet so pleasing the pain is so soft as the dart,

That at once it both wounds me and tickles my heart.

[GAIASDREAMER]

So beautiful. thank you.

Gaia.

[ReynaCrisostomoPanto]

que hermoso me fascino y me encanto la pintura que aparece

[JustCausePpl]

Absolutely great music.

[zahavandre]

Very cuteness work! Purcell c'est rules :-)!

addendum: Where did you get these pics? Thanks and thanks for share the art with us!

[HereSantaComes]

yep, great piece of music. but I think, totally misunderstood here and in general. Doesn't sound like "sweet" passion at all. Just passion. Or a funeral. Come on guys, hurry up a little bit. Make it light. Make it ambigious. Look at the lyrics. Gosh.

[wafsearcher]

psn Nizar007 u cant beat me in MW3

[KhagarBalugrak]

@BobDaSquid, I completely disagree with you here! This is a great piece. Perhaps your real problem with this song is that it wasn't written by a Germanic composer?

[KhagarBalugrak]

This is so wonderful.

[BobDaSquid]

utter shit!



[darksecretsify]

This is such beautiful song! And im sure that the picture is from a midnight summers dream?