In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn? Madrigal in Antique Style
David Lewiston Sharpe
Scoring SSATB solo voices
Duration: 5 mins approx.
Sonnet I from A Crowne of Sonnets dedicated to Love Lady Mary Wroth In this strange Labyrinth how shall I turn? – Ways are on all sides while the way I miss: If to the right hand, there, in love I burn, Let me go forward, therein danger is. If to the left, suspicion hinders bliss; Let me turn back, shame cries I ought return: Nor faint, though crosses with my fortune’s kiss, Stand still is harder, although sure to mourn. Thus let me take the right, or left hand way, Go forward, or stand still, or back retire: I must these doubts endure without allay Or help, but travel find for my best hire. Yet that which most my troubled sense doth move, Is to leave all, and take the thread of Love.
Layout for performance Bass
Tenor Soprano I Soprano II
Alto
Soprano I, who is here allegorically representative of Ariadne’s Thread, – potentially to lead the sonnet’s narrator from the Labyrinth of heart-wrung figurative incarceration – should stand at a distance from the other performers, looking away (as if to lead them) and sing throughout at a dynamic level quiet enough still to be heard with some clarity, but yet distantly. DLS
for Katherine and Erato
In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn? Madrigal in antique style Text: Lady Mary Wroth
David LEWISTON SHARPE
Poco lento. Mesto q = c.76
Sop 1
sempre pp espress. e legatiss.
[ARIADNE'S THREAD]
Take
p Sop 2
How Alto
shall
p
How
Tenor
I
p
How
shall
Love
più f
turn?
In
turn?
shall I
Bass
più dim.
più f
più dim.
shall I
p How
the thread of
In
più dim.
più f
turn?
I
turn?
In
più f
più dim.
S.2
the
A.
this strange
La
-
this strange
La
-
how ten.
by - rinth
by -
how
ten.
shall
shall
più f ten.
rinth
Copyright © 2007 by David Lewiston Sharpe.
how shall
how,
Love,
più f
how,
of
this strange La - by - rinth
T.
B.
thread
ten.
this strange La - by - rinth
In
4 S.1
take
I
I
shall
I
I
2
p espress.
S.1 7
take
S.2
the thread of Love, take
A.
the thread of Love,
poco mf
turn?
turn?
B.
are
10
Love,
S.2
on
on
all,
all
all sides,
B.
Ways
Ways
are
on all sides,
the
poco mf
on all sides
T.
poco mf
take
sides
Ways
A.
are
turn?
S.1
of
Ways
poco mf turn? Ways
T.
take the thread
on
are on all
sides,
sides,
while
the
while
the
più p
while,
while
the
sides,
più p più p
all
all
thread,
all
are
on
all
sides,
sides,
più p while
the
3
13
S.1
thread of
S.2
way A.
I
way
I
B.
way
I
take
miss:
miss, the
way
miss, the way
I
I
I
take
S.2
right
A.
right
T.
right
B. right
the
thread
hand,
hand,
hand,
hand,
there,
there,
If
to
the
If
to
the
p
If
to
the
in
love
love
in
love
in
the
in
there,
Love
there,
to
,
miss:
of
If
p
miss:
16
p
,
S.1
,
miss:
miss,
p
,
sempre pp
I
way
T.
Love,
love
I
burn,
I
I
burn,
burn,
I
burn,
4
poco S.1 19
take
S.2 Let
A.
Let
T.
Let
B.
Let
the
thread
me
go
for
me
go
ward
for poco cresc.
me
go
for
ward
me
go
-
for
-
,
is.
A.
is.
T.
is.
B. is.
shall
p
dan
there - in
dan - ger
I
-
più dim.
più dim.
I
turn?
How p
shall
I
shall
I
più dim.
turn?
più dim.
turn?
ger
turn?
How
there - in p
shall
p
- ger
dan - ger
ward
dan
there - in p
p
How
,
there - in p
How
,
ward
22 , S.1
S.2
p
-
Love
poco cresc.
of
5
sempre pp e legatiss.
S.1 25
take
the
mp S.2
If mp
to
A.
T.
B.
the
If
to
the
to
the
mp
If
to
S.1 28
S.2
T.
sus - pi - cion hin -
left,
the
poco pp
left,
sus - pi - cion,
of
Love
the thread of
Love
poco pp
ders
bliss,
poco pp
sus
-
sus più f
sus - pi - cion hin - ders bliss,
pi
più f
sus - pi - cion hin - ders bliss,
poco pp sus - pi - cion hin - ders bliss, bliss,
B.
poco pp
sus-
sus - pi - cion, sus - pi - cion,
hin -
ders
left,
pi - cion
poco pp
left,
bliss,
A.
mp If
thread
-
cion hin
-
ders
bliss,
sus
6
,
S.1 31
take
the
S.2
pi - cion hin - ders bliss;
A.
B.
Let
pi - cion hin - ders bliss;
T.
p
più f
poco
più f
the
me
turn
me
back,
turn
shame
poco mf
back,
p
bliss;
shame
,
p
bliss;
poco mf
shame
shame,
poco
sus - pi - cion hin - ders
poco mf
sus - pi - cion hin - ders
p
Let
thread
, poco mf
shame,
shame
34 S.1
thread
S.2
cries
the
I
ought
A.
cries
cries I
T.
B.
cries
I
ought
ought
I
ought
thread
re - turn:
re
-
re
-
Nor
faint,
poco stacc.
Nor
turn:
faint,
though
turn:
-
turn:
re
of Love, poco stacc.
though
poco stacc.
Nor
faint,
Nor
faint,
poco stacc.
7
poco
37
S.1
Love,
legato
S.2
cros - ses with my for - tune's kiss,
legato
A.
T.
legato
for
B.
legato
-
though cros - ses with my for - tune's kiss,
kiss,
for - tune's
cros - ses with my for - tune's kiss,
tune's kiss, pp
Stand pp
though cros - ses with my for - tune's kiss,
S.1 40
S.2
Stand
A.
pp
Stand
still
T.
B.
still
take
still
still
p
pp
Stand
is
har
is
har
is
har
is
har
-
-
der,
der,
-
-
der,
der,
8
rit. -
S.1 43
the
S.2 A.
al
T.
al
-
thread
al
- though sure to
though
though
B.
sure
mourn.
to
sure
to
mourn.
al - though sure
to
How p
shall
I
How p
shall
How p
How
mf S.2 Thus
A.
mf Thus
Thus mf
T.
turn?
I
,
turn?
shall
I
turn?
,
A tempo
take
mf
B.
Thus
the thread of
let
me
let
me
take
the
take
the
let
me
take
let
me
take
the
the
Love,
right, or
right,
right,
right,
mf
left hand way, mf
or
left hand way,
or
left hand way,
or
Go
left hand way,
,
p S.1 46
,
turn?
I
shall
mourn.
,
p
mourn.
- Più lento
Love,
-
of
-
Go
mf
Go
mf
Go
9
S.1 49
S.2
Love,
Love,
for - ward,
T. for B.
A.
for - ward,
-
or
B.
still,
stand
still,
or
or
stand
stand
still,
or
still,
back
re - tire:
or
T.
stand
p
52
A.
S.1
p
ward,
for - ward,
S.2
or p
p
back
or
back
re - tire:
re -
or
back
tire:
re -
tire:
più f
How
10
S.1 55
pp
take
più S.2
f
How più f
A.
How
T.
shall
shall
più f How
S.1
I
turn?
dure
A.
dure
T.
I
dure
I p legato
I
p legato
turn?
I
p legato
I
turn?
I
with - out
al
-
lay
with - out
al
with - out
al
thread,
the
must
these
doubts
must
these
doubts
en
must
these
doubts
en
must
these
doubts
Or
-
-
en
-
help,
al - lay
Or
-
en -
Love,
-
of
dure with - out
B.
thread
S.2
turn?
shall
shall
58
I
B.
p legato
the
lay
lay
Or
Or
help,
but tra - vel
help,
help,
poco più f
11
S.1 61
ppp
Love,
S.2
poco più f
but tra - vel find for my best hire.
A.
find for my best hire,
T.
for poco più f
my
best
hire.
but tra - vel find
for
my best hire,
poco più f
B.
for my best
hire.
but tra - vel find for my best hire, for my best hire.
S.1 64
S.2
A.
mp cresc.
Yet
that
which
most,
mp cresc.
Yet
that
which
T.
B.
Yet
poco mf
most,
most,
poco mf
most,
mp cresc.
that
which
mp
Yet that which
most
my
trou - bled
most
my trou - bled
poco mf
most,
most
my
trou - bled
poco mf
most
my
trou - bled
most,
12 p espress. e legatiss.
S.1 67
take
S.2
sense
A.
sense
doth
sense doth
T.
B.
doth
sense
the thread of
move,
move,
move,
doth
move,
Love,
Is
to
leave
all,
Is
to
leave
all,
to
Is
to
rit.
jeave
all,
leave
all
-
-
-
S.1 70
S.2
the
thread
take
A.
take
take
T.
B.
take
the
thread
of
of
and poco p
and poco p
and poco p
and
-
-
Love.
thread
Love.
the
of
poco p
Is
take
Love.
the
thread
of
the
thread
of
Love.
Love.
Loughton, 20–21 October 2007