Shakespeare and Music Part 27

[Music: IV.

(_a_) And will he not come a-gain?

And will he not come a-gain?

No, no, he is dead, Go to thy death bed; He never will come a-gain.

(_b_) His beard as white as snow, All flax-en was his poll; He's gone, he's gone, And we cast away moan; G.o.d ha' mer-cy on his soul!]

L. 184, 'Bonny sweet Robin.' With the exception of this _one line_, and _the t.i.tle_, 'My Robin is to the greenwood gone,' nothing remains of this song, but the following tune, which is of some date before 1597.

[Music: V.

My Robin is to the greenwood gone.

For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.]

23. Catches, of 16th century, prob. long anterior to Shakespeare.

I. 'Hold thy peace,' see p. 77, _Tw. Nt._ II, iii. For _three_ voices, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Feste the clown, who begins the catch. The second man follows when the first has arrived at [segno symbol]. For the explanation see p. 90.

[Music:

Hold thy peace, and I prithee hold thy peace, [segno symbol] Thou knave, Hold thy peace thou knave, Thou knave.]

'Thou knave' will be heard _nine_ times for every once the whole tune is sung by one of the voices.

II. 'Jack boy, ho boy, news,' see p. 92, and _Shrew_ IV, i, 42. This is very old, prob. quite early 16th century (see Introduction).

For _four_ voices. The second man comes in at [segno symbol], as before.

[Music:

Jack, boy, ho! boy, news; [segno symbol] The cat is in the well, Let us ring now for her knell, Ding, dong, ding, dong, bell.]

24. Threeman songs (corrupted into 'Freeman,' see p. 83). These were entirely different from Catches. A Threeman song is merely (as a rule) a song with _three parts_,--_e.g._, two trebles and a tenor, etc.

_Winter's Tale_ IV, ii, 41, and IV, iii, 285-327.

Here is a Threeman song, published in 1609, but probably much older than that.

[Music:

V.1. Wee be souldiers three, Pardonez moy je vous en prie: Late-ly come forth of the low coun-try, With nev-er a penny of mony.

V.2. Here good fellow, I drinke to thee, Pardonez moy je vous en prie: To all good fel-lowes wher-ever they be, With nev-er a penny of mony.]

There are two more verses of the same sort.

25. 'Canst thou not hit it,' _L.L.L._ IV, i, 125. No more words known, except this one verse.

The tune is mentioned as a dance in an Elizabethan play, and is alluded to in an old ballad 'Arthur a Bradley.'

[Music:

Thou can'st not hit it, hit it, hit it, Thou can'st not hit it, my good man, An' I cannot, cannot, cannot, An' I cannot, an-o-ther can.]

26. Dances. [Also see Note on Arbeau's Orchesographie.]

(_a._) Pavan and Galliard, 'St Thomas Wake,' by Dr Bull, from Parthenia, printed 1611. (Bull was born 1563.) See p. 114.

Pavan [if played quick became Pa.s.samezzo. _Tw._ V, i, 200].

[Music]

Galliard St Thomas Wake, the _same music_ but in triple time. _Tw._ I, viii, 127, _H. 5._ I, ii, 252.

[Music: Galliard, or Cinquepace.]

(_b._) 1. Part of a 'Pa.s.samezzo,' date 1581. (See Note on Arbeau's Orchesographie.) _Tw._ V, i, 200. See p. 135.

[Music: Pa.s.se mezzo, or Measure (_As You_ V, iv, 178, etc.)]

(_b._) 2. The first 'strain' of a German Pavan for the Lute, dating 1562.

[Music]

(_c._) An English 'Haye,' or 'Raye,' or 'Round,' date 1678. See p.

131, _L.L.L._ V, i, 148.

For a French 'Haye,' see Note on Arbeau's Orchesographie. Tune only given [see Stainer and Barrett's Dict. of Musical Terms].

[Music]

It will be noticed that the steps of the Haye, as given in 'Orchesographie,' can be adapted to this tune. The dotted minim value of this corresponds with the semibreve value of the other.

(_d._) 1. The King's Hunting Jigg, by Dr Bull (1563-1628). See p. 117.

_Hamlet_ II, ii, 504, etc.

[Music]

(_d._) 2. The Cobbler's Jig. 1622. See p. 125.

[Music]

(_e._) 1. An English Morris, 1650, see p. 132. _All's Well_ II, ii, 20, etc.

[Music]

(_e._) 2. Italian Moresca, by Claudio Monteverde, from his opera 'Orfeo,' 1608. This at all events must have had a different step to the Morisque of Arbeau. (See Note on the 'Orchesographie.')

This dance is certainly in triple rhythm, so the common-time sign probably indicates it should be played fast enough to give the effect of two beats to the bar.