April is in my Mistress' face - Thomas Morley

April is in my Mistress' face
Composed by Thomas Morley (c.1557-1602)
Performed by the Douglas Frank Chorale

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.

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.

S: Sara Botkin, Melissa Raymond, Cynthia Shaw
A: Grace Check, Ariane Reinhart
T: Thom Baker, Marcos Vigil
B: Steve Friedman, Gregg Lauterbach, Mark Sullivan

Performance recorded May 2000
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dougfrank
"You'll love the performers." - The New York Times "This CD takes you to another place, another time, and a higher plane. What is most remarkable about this CD, since many of the selections are familiar to conductors and singers, is the truly stunning ensemble performance of these professional singers ~ I would venture to say transformational ~ creating music and a recording of it that is special and rare."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• April
• Mistress
• Face
• Thomas Morley
• Douglas Frank Chorale
• Orazio Vecchi
• Classical
• English
• Renaissance
• Madrigal
• a cappella
• choir

[Glenmed]

Perfectly balanced harmony. No other instrument in sight and what beauty produced.

[tritus67]

Very, VERY beautiful!

A perfect symbiosis between text and pictures!

Wonderful vocal performance ... as always!

BRAVO!!!

[RawrMrDinosaur]

Auditioning for All State with this song, tonight. <3

[ChelseyRPolston]

Very lovely sound... It mad me smile, Even though the song is about a beautiful woman that's cold and heartless.

[jackiem81894]

i hav to learn this for chourus for the state finals

[kasztanka28]

the most favourite of morley's works of mine! it's cruel that photos are in photoshop but anyway morley would be on the seven cloud

[94Table]

Schönes Lied

[TheRachael91]

Aw. Memories. :]

Middle school chorus class. ♥

[drybonesandboo45]

What a flawless vocal performance! So much delight... :)

[MrPowellful]

This might be my favorite madrigal ever! The pictures displayed are a great addition...i got some goose bumps watching it! :)

[Sabberschnecke]

ich liebe dieses lied!!

wir singen das jetzt im chor und es ist sooo wunderschön...

[Petraphage]

Très belle interprétation, bravo !