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Tara Erraught mezzo-soprano Dearbhla Collins piano SONGS OF COMFORT AND HOPE FRIDAY 29 MAY 2020
Welcome to the first NCH Live Stream, presented directly from the stage of the National Concert Hall. Connecting musicians with audiences is what the National Concert Hall is all about. Whilst we cannot do so at the moment face-to-face due to the Covid-19 restrictions, we are delighted to launch this new initiative this evening. Over the next four weeks in this first series we will be bringing some of Ireland’s finest artists into your home, streamed in live performance, with a quality of sound and vision that allows you to enjoy their wonderful musical talents to the full. We hope this brings you as close to the music as we can in these difficult times, providing the engagement, excitement and inspiration that we know only live performance can provide. We are delighted to be launching the series with one of this country’s most outstanding young artists Tara Erraught. As the lockdown hit in March Tara was just about to sing the title role in Rossini’s La Cenerentola at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, already her third role at one of the world’s great opera houses. Accompanying her this evening is one of Ireland’s finest pianists Dearbhla Collins. Recently appointed Assistant Head of Music at the National Opera Studio in London, Dearbhla works regularly with leading Irish and international singers and curates the annual Dublin Song Series at the National Concert Hall. We would like to thank Davy, as Innovation Partner, for their support of this series and also The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Culture Ireland, RTE.ie and The Irish Times. Next week, June 5th, Bell X1’s front man Paul Noonan takes to the stage for a very special solo performance and acclaimed folk singer/songwriter Lisa O’Neill is livestreamed on 12th June. The renowned pianist Barry Douglas rounds off the series on June 19th. We hope you can join us over the next few weeks to rekindle a connection with these exceptional artists or to discover them for the first time. Either way, we can assure you of a special experience and a moment of inspiration and hope in a time when we need much of both.
Maura McGrath Simon Taylor Chairman CEO Board Of Directors Maura McGrath Chair • James Cavanagh • Rebecca Gageby Gerard Gillen • Eleanor McEvoy • Máire O’Connor John Reynolds • Don Thornhill Patron Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland
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SONGS OF COMFORT AND HOPE
Franz Liszt
Enfant, si j’étais roi
Oh! Quand je dors
Franz Schubert
Ständchen
Nacht und Träume
Ave Maria Aaron Copland
At the River
Long time ago
Simple gifts Richard Strauss
Allerseelen
Die Nacht Ständchen Morgen Zueignung Irish Folk Songs
The Gartan mother's lullaby
I’ll walk with my love
The cloths of heaven
She is far from the land 3
Tara Erraught
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MEZZO-SOPRANO
A rich, radiant voice, expansive range and dynamic stage presence are the hallmarks of Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught. With a wide repertoire that includes Bellini, Dvořák, Gounod, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, Strauss and Verdi, as well as contemporary composers, she enjoys an ever-growing international career on the opera, orchestra and recital stages. 4
In recent seasons Ms. Erraught has sung world premieres, made numerous role debuts, and appeared in recitals and concerts throughout the United States, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom. A highlight of the season 2019/20 is La Cenerentola at the Metropolitan Opera in New York where she is performing Angelina. With the same opera she will be guest again at the Irish National Opera. Beside that she will return to Munich and will sing in Hänsel und Gretel (Hänsel), in Cosi fan tutte (Despina) and in Orlando Paladino (Alcina). In Barbier von Sevilla she will sing the role of Rosina and will be guest at the Wiener Staatsoper and at the Staatsoper Berlin unter den Linden. Afterwards she will sing again at the Staatsoper Berlin in Don Giovanni. Beside that she will give recitals in Eppan, Barcelona, Munich and Leeds and she will return to the Schubertiade in Hohenems. Recent season highlights include company debuts with Gran Teatre del Liceu (Stéphano, Romeo et Juliette); The Metropolitan Opera (Nichlausse/The Muse, Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffman and Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel); Irish National Opera's first season (Susanna, The Marriage of Figaro); Staatsoper Berlin (Rosina, Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia); Bayerische Staatsoper (reprise of Angelina, La Cenerentola; Carlotta, Die Schwiegsame Frau); Ireland’s Opera Theater Company (Dona Elvira in the world premiere of Roddy Doyle’s new translation of Mozart’s Don Giovanni) and Wide Open Opera (Rosina in a new production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia); recital debuts at Schubertiade, Schwarzenberg, Welsh National Opera’s International Concert Series, Vocal Arts DC and South Carolina’s Peace Center and a return to the Vancouver Recital Society; the Salzburg Festival (Siebel, new production of Gounod's Faust with the Vienna Philharmonic), as well as her role debut as Annius in Deutsche Gramophone’s live recording of two concert performances of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito with Joyce DiDonato as Sexto and Rolando Villazon as Tito under Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Baden Baden. Additional opera company credits include the Hamburg Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, Theater an der Wien, Washington National Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Miss Erraught has made 41 role debuts with the Bayerische Staatsoper alone. 5
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International appearances include Austria’s Schubertiade, Schwarzenberg; the United Kingdom’s Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms, and Welsh National Opera’s International Concert Series; France’s Le Grand Foyer Series, Opera de Lille; Japan’s Tokyo Opera Nomori; and solo opera gala concerts with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra and Munich’s Nymphenburg Sommer and Bayerische Festspiele. In addition to the Deutsche Gramophone recording, Ms. Erraught can be seen on DVD in the title role of Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier on the Opus Arte label. A resident principal soloist with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich from 2010 - 2018, amongst her awards are a prestigious Promeritis scientiae et litterarum (2013) from the Bavarian government in recognition for outstanding contribution to the arts, a 2010 Dublin’s National Concert Hall's Rising Star Award, and a 2007 Dermott Troy Award for the Best Irish Singer. 6
Dearbhla Collins PIANO
Dearbhla Collins is one of Ireland’s finest pianists. She is most well known as a song pianist and performs recitals with singers such as Benjamin Appl, Patricia Bardon and Tara Erraught. She also regularly works with Dame Ann Murray and Brigitte Fassbaender. As well as being vocal coach at the RIAM, she was appointed Assistant Head of Music at the National Opera Studio, London in 2019. She has also coached in the Universität für Musik, Vienna, in Zurich and the Beijing Central Conservatory. She is the founder and Artistic Director of Dublin Song Series which puts on song recitals in Dublin at the National Concert Hall and the Hugh Lane Municipal Art Gallery. Dearbhla is the Artistic Administrator of the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition, previous winners of which include Nadine Sierra, Fatma Said and William Thomas. In October 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate for her services to music in Ireland from the National University of Ireland.
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Franz Liszt (1811-1886) The Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Liszt was a virtuoso pianist and performer of the late Romantic era. Known for his fiendishly difficult piano works, Liszt also composed in excess of NCH Live Stream Series
eighty songs in over six languages. Quite a lot of his songs are set to German poems, however his French songs, notable for their depth of feeling and elaborate piano parts, are among the most significant works, especially those set to poems by the famed Victor Hugo. Liszt set seven Hugo texts between 1842 and 1844, including the two songs listed in this programme, Enfant si j’etais roi and Oh! Quand je dors.
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Enfant, si j'étais roi (Child, if I were king) Text by Victor Hugo (1802-1885) Enfant, si j'étais roi, je donnerais l'empire, Et mon char, et mon sceptre, et mon peuple à genoux, Et ma couronne d'or, et mes bains de porphyre, Et mes flottes, à qui la mer ne peut suffire, Et mon char, et mon sceptre, et mon peuple à genoux, Et ma couronne d'or, et mes bains de porphyre, Et mes flottes, à qui la mer ne peut suffire, Pour un regard de vous!
Child, if I were king I would give the empire and my chariot, and my sceptre, and my kneeling people, and my golden crown, and my porphyry baths, and my fleets that the sea could not hold, for one of your glances! and my chariot, and my sceptre, and my kneeling people, and my golden crown, and my porphyry baths, and my fleets that the sea could not hold, for one of your glances!
Si j'étais Dieu, la terre et l'air avec les ondes, Les anges, les démons courbés devant ma loi, Et le profond chaos aux entrailles fécondes, L'éternité, l'espace et les cieux et les mondes, Pour un baiser de toi!
If I were God, earth and heaven with the waves, the angels, the demons bent before my law, and the chaos of the fertile deep, eternity, space, the heavens and the worlds for a kiss from you!
Source: Lieder.net
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Oh! Quand je dors (Ah, while I sleep) (1843) Text by Victor Hugo (1802-1885)
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Oh! quand je dors, viens auprès de ma couche, Comme à Pétrarque apparaissait Laura, Et qu’en passant ton haleine me touche … Soudain ma bouche S’entr’ouvrira! Sur mon front morne où peut-être s’achève Un songe noir qui trop longtemps dura, Que ton regard comme un astre se lève … Et soudain mon rêve Rayonnera! Puis sur ma lèvre où voltige une flamme, Éclair d’amour que Dieu même épura, Pose un baiser, et d’ange deviens femme … Soudain mon âme S’éveillera!
Ah, while I sleep, come close to where I lie, As Laura once appeared to Petrarch, And let your breath in passing touch me … At once my lips Will part! On my sombre brow, where a dismal dream That lasted too long now perhaps is ending, Let your countenance rise like a star … At once my dream Will shine! Then on my lips, where a flame flickers— A flash of love which God himself has purified— Place a kiss and be transformed from angel into woman … At once my soul Will wake!
English Translation © Richard Stokes 2018. Sourced: OxfordLieder.co.uk
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Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Despite his short life, the Austrian composer left behind a vast body of work, including more than 600 secular vocal works, seven symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large amount of piano and chamber music. It was in the genre of the Lied that Schubert made his most indelible mark. Schubert’s lifelong friend Joseph von Spaun said: “Every one of his songs is in reality a poem on the poem he set to music”. Alleged to be a setting of the "Song" in act 2, scene 3 of Shakespeare's Cymbeline, Ständchen was composed in 1826 and later published in a collection of 14 songs by Schubert entitled Schwanengesang (Swan Song).
Ständchen (Serenade) from Schwanengesang (Swan Song) No. 4 (1826) (Text by Ludwig Rellstab) (1799-1860) Leise flehen meine Lieder Durch die Nacht zu Dir; In den stillen Hain hernieder, Liebchen, komm’ zu mir! Flüsternd schlanke Wipfel rauschen In des Mondes Licht; Des Verräters feindlich Lauschen Fürchte, Holde, nicht. Hörst die Nachtigallen schlagen? Ach! sie flehen Dich, Mit der Töne süssen Klagen Flehen sie für mich. Sie verstehn des Busens Sehnen, Kennen Liebesschmerz, Rühren mit den Silbertönen Jedes weiche Herz. Lass auch Dir die Brust bewegen, Liebchen, höre mich! Bebend harr’ ich Dir entgegen! Komm’, beglücke mich!
Softly my songs plead through the night to you; down into the silent grove, beloved, come to me! Slender treetops whisper and rustle in the moonlight; my darling, do not fear that the hostile betrayer will overhear us. Do you not hear the nightingales call? Ah, they are imploring you; with their sweet, plaintive songs they are imploring for me. They understand the heart’s yearning, they know the pain of love; with their silvery notes they touch every tender heart. Let your heart, too, be moved, beloved, hear me! Trembling, I await you! Come, make me happy!
Sourced: OxfordLieder.co.uk
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Schubert’s Nacht und Träume (Night and Dreams) composed in 1823 is a lied for voice and piano, set to text by Matthäus von Collin and published in 1825. The broken chord accompaniment in the piano introduction sets the scene for the meditation on dreams, while the voice floats above the sleeping world. It is one of several Schubert songs that Max Reger later arranged for voice and orchestra. It is noted that the last seven bars of the original version feature in Samuel Beckett's television play of the same name. The play was broadcast on German television in 1983 and attracted two million viewers.
Nacht und Träume (Night and Dreams) (1823) (Text by Matthaus von Collin)
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Heil’ge Nacht, du sinkest nieder Nieder wallen auch die Träume, Wie dein Mondlicht durch die Räume, Durch der Menschen stille Brust. Die belauschen sie mit Lust; Rufen, wenn der Tag erwacht: Kehre wieder, heil’ge Nacht! Holde Träume, kehret wieder!
Holy night, you sink down; dreams, too, float down, as your moonlight fills the room, fills the sleeping hearts of men. They listen with delight, crying when the day awakes: come back, holy night! Fair dreams, return!
English Translation © Richard Wigmore. Sourced: OxfordLieder.co.uk
Schubert’s setting of Ave Maria is one of his most widely known and performed works, despite the fact that he never actually wrote a piece under that title! It was in fact ‘Ellens dritter Gesang’, (translated as ‘Ellen’s Third Song’) composed in 1824 and based on the text of Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake. It contains the words Ave Maria but only as a reference to the prayer. The Ave Maria we know today has been recorded by numerous artists from Maria Callas to Pavarotti and can be heard in regular church services for weddings and funerals.
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Ave Maria (1824) Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death. Amen.
Aaron Copland (1900–1990) Aaron Copland’s capacity to integrate pre-existing folk material as the core of his composition is evident in these three songs from two sets of Old American Songs (1950-1952).
At the River (1952) Copland’s At the River, is the fourth song in his Old American Songs, Set 2. An arrangement of the beloved 1865 hymn tune by Robert Lowry. It was sung at the memorial concerts for Copland himself and for the great composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein and has featured in several Hollywood westerns. Shall we gather by the river, Where bright angel’s feet have trod, With its crystal tide forever Flowing by the throne of God? Yes, we’ll gather by the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river, Gather with the saints by the river That flows by the throne of God. Ere we reach the shining river Lay we every burden down, Praise our spirits will deliver And provide our robe and crown.
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Yes, we’ll gather at the river. The beautiful, the beautiful, river. Gather with the saints at the river, That flows by the throne of God. Soon we’ll reach the shining river, Soon our pilgrimage will cease, Soon our happy hearts will quiver With the melody of peace. Yes, we’ll gather by the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river, Gather with the saints by the river That flows by the throne of God. Authorship by Robert Lowry (1826 - 1899), “At the river”, written 1865. Sourced Lieder.net
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Long Time Ago (1950) Long Time Ago is the third song in Copland’s Old American Songs, Set 1, and is a setting of a lyrical nostalgic ballad discovered by the composer in the Harris Collection at Brown University.
Long Time Ago (1950) On the lake where droop'd the willow Long time ago, Where the rock threw back the billow Brighter than snow. Dwelt a maid beloved and cherish'd By high and low, But with autumn leaf she perished Long time ago. Rock and tree and flowing water Long time ago, Bird and bee and blossom taught her Love's spell to know. While to my fond words she listen'd Murmuring low, Tenderly her blue eyes glisten'd Long time ago. Sourced: Lieder.net 14
Simple Gifts (1950) Simple Gifts is the fourth song in Set.1 of Copland’s Old American Songs. The melody was a favorite song of the Shaker sect with the text and melody written by elder Joseph Brackett, dating from 1848. Copland featured the tune prominently in his ballet Appalachian Spring (1944) in a unique set of variations. The once-forgotten Shaker melody has been elevated to prominence in this arrangement, and the recording by American folk singer Alison Krauss and celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Simple Gifts (Text Joseph Brackett) 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free 'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be And when we find ourselves in the place just right 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gained To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed To turn, turn will be our delight 'Till by turning, turning we come round right. 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free 'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be And when we find ourselves in the place just right 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. Sourced: Lieder.net
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Richard Strauss (1864–1949) German composer and conductor Richard Strauss was prolific in the late Romantic and early modern eras, particularly well-known for his operas, Lieder, and tone poems. He composed more than 200 songs throughout his life, with the first set of songs appearing in print, namely the 8 Gedichte aus ‘Letzte Blätter’ von Hermann Gilm (Eight Poems from Hermann Gilm’s ‘Last Pages’) Op 10 of 1885. The collection of eight songs showcases his talent in writing for voice and includes some of his much-loved songs to include those being sung this evening – Zueignung (Dedication), Allerseelen (All Souls Day), and Die Nacht (The Night). This evening’s performance also includes Ständchen (Serenade), a setting a poem of the same title by the German poet and aristocrat Adolf
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Friedrich von Schack, composed in 1886.
Allerseelen (All Souls Day) from Letzte Blätter Op. 10, No. 8 (1885) (Text by Hermann von Gilm) Stell auf den Tisch die duftenden Reseden, Die letzten roten Astern trag herbei, Und laß uns wieder von der Liebe reden, Wie einst im Mai. Gib mir die Hand, daß ich sie heimlich drücke, Und wenn man’s sieht, mir ist es einerlei, Gib mir nur einen deiner süßen Blicke, Wie einst im Mai. Es blüht und duftet heut auf jedem Grabe, Ein Tag im Jahr ist ja den Toten frei, Komm am mein Herz, daß ich dich wieder habe, Wie einst im Mai.
Set on the table the fragrant mignonettes, Bring in the last red asters, And let us talk of love again As once in May. Give me your hand to press in secret, And if people see, I do not care, Give me but one of your sweet glances As once in May. Each grave today has flowers and is fragrant, One day each year is devoted to the dead; Come to my heart and so be mine again, As once in May.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005). Source © Oxford Lieder 2020 16
Alan Jefferson wrote in The Lieder of Richard Strauss (1971): Die Nacht (The Night) is a song of trembling and yearning, a song tinged with fear that the night, which takes away the familiar shapes of daylight, will also steal the beloved… Die Nacht is a supreme example of Strauss's art”.
Die Nacht (The Night) from Letzte Blätter, Op. 10, No. 3 (Text by Hermann von Gilm) (1812-1864) Aus dem Walde tritt die Nacht, Aus den Bäumen schleicht sie leise, Schaut sich um in weitem Kreise, Nun gib Acht! Alle Lichter dieser Welt, Alle Blumen, alle Farben Löscht sie aus und stiehlt die Garben Weg vom Feld. Alles nimmt sie, was nur hold, Nimmt das Silber weg des Stroms Nimmt vom Kupferdach des Doms Weg das Gold. Ausgeplündert steht der Strauch: Rücke näher, Seel’ an Seele, O die Nacht, mir bangt, sie stehle Dich mir auch.
Night steps from the woods, Slips softly from the trees, Gazes about her in a wide arc, Now beware! All the lights of this world, All the flowers, all the colours She extinguishes and steals the sheaves From the field. She takes all that is fair, Takes the silver from the stream, Takes from the cathedral’s copper roof The gold. The bush stands plundered: Draw closer, soul to soul, Ah the night, I fear, will steal You too from me.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005). Source © Oxford Lieder 2020
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This setting is the second song in Strauss’ collection Six Songs for High Voice and Piano, Op. 17, TrV 149, which were all settings of Adolf Friedrich von Schack poems. Norman Del Mar, in his 1972 book Richard Strauss. A Critical Commentary on his Life and Works, wrote: "With Ständchen we come face to face with the most popular of all Strauss' songs… That it is a masterpiece there can be little doubt”.
Ständchen (Serenade) from Sechs Lieder, Op.17, No. 2 (Text by Adolf Friedrich von Schack) (1815-1894)
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Mach auf, mach auf! doch leise, mein Kind, Um Keinen vom Schlummer zu wecken! Kaum murmelt der Bach, kaum zittert im Wind Ein Blatt an den Büschen und Hecken; Drum leise, mein Mädchen, daß nichts sich regt, Nur leise die Hand auf die Klinke gelegt! Mit Tritten, wie Tritte der Elfen so sacht, Um über die Blumen zu hüpfen, Flieg leicht hinaus in die Mondscheinnacht, Zu mir in den Garten zu schlüpfen! Rings schlummern die Blüten am rieselnden Bach Und duften im Schlaf, nur die Liebe ist wach. Sitz nieder! Hier dämmerts geheimnisvoll Unter den Lindenbäumen. Die Nachtigall uns zu Häupten soll Von unseren Küssen träumen Und die Rose, wenn sie am Morgen erwacht, Hoch glühn von den Wonneschauern der Nacht.
Open up, open up! but softly, my child, So that no one’s roused from slumber! The brook hardly murmurs, the breeze hardly moves A leaf on the bushes and hedges; Gently, my love, so nothing shall stir, Gently with your hand as you lift the latch! With steps as light as the steps of elves, As they hop their way over flowers, Flit out into the moonlit night, Slip out to me in the garden! The flowers are fragrant in sleep By the rippling brook, only love is awake. Sit down! Dusk falls mysteriously here Beneath the linden trees. The nightingale above us Shall dream of our kisses And the rose, when it wakes at dawn, Shall glow from our night’s rapture.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005). Source © Oxford Lieder 2020
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Morgen! (Tomorrow!) is the last in a set of four songs or Vier Lieder composed in 1894 by Strauss, designated Op. 27, No. 4. The text of this Lied is the German love poem Morgen! written by Strauss's contemporary, John Henry Mackay. Strauss composed it as a wedding present to his wife Pauline. It remains one of Strauss's best-known and most widely recorded works.
Morgen! (Tomorrow) from Vier Lieder, Op. 27, No. 4 (1894) (Text by John Henry Mackay) (1864-1933) Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen Und auf dem Wege, den ich gehen werde, Wird uns, die Glücklichen, sie wieder einen Inmitten dieser sonnenatmenden Erde ... Und zu dem Strand, dem weiten, wogenblauen, Werden wir still und langsam niedersteigen, Stumm werden wir uns in die Augen schauen, Und auf uns sinkt des Glückes stummes Schweigen ...
And tomorrow the sun will shine again And on the path that I shall take, It will unite us, happy ones, again, Amid this same sun-breathing earth ... And to the shore, broad, blue-waved, We shall quietly and slowly descend, Speechless we shall gaze into each other’s eyes, And the speechless silence of bliss shall fall on us ...
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005). Source © Oxford Lieder 2020
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Zueignung (translated as Dedication or Devotion), composed in 1885, was the first of the eight songs by Strauss published as Op. 10, Originally scored for voice and piano, the song was later orchestrated in 1932 by the German conductor Robert Heger and in 1940 by Strauss himself. It has been one the composer's best-known songs.
Zueignung (Dedication), Op. 10, No. 1 (1885) (Text by Hermann von Gilm)
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Ja, du weißt es, teure Seele, Daß ich fern von dir mich quäle, Liebe macht die Herzen krank, Habe Dank. Einst hielt ich, der Freiheit Zecher, Hoch den Amethysten-Becher, Und du segnetest den Trank, Habe Dank. Und beschworst darin die Bösen, Bis ich, was ich nie gewesen, Heilig, heilig an’s Herz dir sank, Habe Dank!
Yes, dear soul, you know That I’m in torment far from you, Love makes hearts sick – Be thanked. Once, revelling in freedom, I held The amethyst cup aloft And you blessed that draught – Be thanked. And you banished the evil spirits, Till I, as never before, Holy, sank holy upon your heart – Be thanked.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005). Source © Oxford Lieder 2020
Irish Folk Songs The Gartan Mother’s Lullaby The Gartan Mother’s Lullaby by Joseph Campbell, was first published in Songs of Uladh [Ulster] in 1904. It is one of the most perfect of his collaborations with the composer and folk-song arranger Herbert Hughes, although perhaps less well-known than My Lagan Love. ‘A Belfast Catholic, Joseph Campbell was a song collector before he became a poet and playwright. A supporter of the Easter Rising as a Republican, he later emigrated to the US, where he died in 1944’ (The Guardian).
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The Gartan Mother’s Lullaby (Text by Joseph Campbell/Arranger Herbert Hughes) Sleep, O babe, for the red bee hums The silent twilight’s fall: Aibheall from the Grey Rock comes To wrap the world in thrall. A leanbhan O, my child, my joy, My love and heart’s desire, The crickets sing you lullaby Beside the dying fire. Dusk is drawn, and the Green Man’s Thorn Is wreathed in rings of fog: Siabhra sails his boat till morn Upon the Starry Bog. A leanbhan O, the pale half-moon Hath brimmed her cusp in dew, And weeps to hear the sad sleep-tune I sing, O love, to you. Faintly sweet doth the chapel bell Ring o’er the valley dim: Tearmann’s peasant-voices swell In fragrant evening hymn. A leanbhan O, the low bell rings My little lamb to rest And angel-dreams, till morning sings Its music in your breast. Sleep, O babe, for the red bee hums The silent twilight’s fall: Aibheall from the Grey Rock comes To wrap the world in thrall. A leanbhan O, my child, my joy, My love and heart’s desire, The crickets sing you lullaby Beside the dying fire.
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I’ll Walk with My Love I’ll walk with My Love was arranged by Herbert Hughes (1882–1937). Hughes, who was from Belfast, went on to study in London at the Royal College of Music with such notables as Charles Villiers Stanford and Charles Wood. Throughout his life he collected and arranged hundreds of folk songs which were sung all over the world and recorded by international artists.
I’ll Walk with My Love (Arranger Herbert Hughes)
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Walking with my love Lyrics She has a mop of auburn hair The bluest eyes with no compare Intelligence, that just holds you there And her laughter fills the evening air I smile at her just strolling there No need to hurry no not a care When I'm walking with me darlin' When I'm walking with me love With my love He has a heart of precious gold A picture rare now to behold When I'm walking with me love No need to hurry back to town We'll get there in the end somehow When I'm walking with my love When I'm walking with me darlin' When I'm walking with me love With my love with my love When I'm walking with me darlin' When I'm walking with me love With my love
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As the evening falls this starry night She beckons me to hold on tight When the moon comes to steal the night There's an old café down by the shore We'll stop a while and chat some more About the dreams we're both wishing for When I'm walking with me darlin' When I'm walking with me love When I'm walking with me darlin' When I'm walking with me love Oh with my love Yes with my love My Love Walking with my love Walking with my love
The Cloths of Heaven The Cloths of Heaven is from the song cycle "The Wind Among the Reeds" (first published in 1899) with words by one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature, W.B. Yeats. It is set to music by English composer and teacher Thomas F. Dunhill (1877–1946). Despite the several arrangements that exist today of this beautiful poem, few if any, surpass this setting by Dunhill.
The Cloths of Heaven (Words W.B. Yeats/Arranger Thomas F. Dunhill) Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths Enwrought with golden and silver light The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half-light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. Sourced: OxfordLieder.co.uk
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She is Far from the Land Thomas Moore (1779–1852) was inspired to write the poem about Sarah Curran, whose lover Robert Emmet was executed after the failed rebellion of 1803. He set the poem to an Irish air called ‘Open the door’ and it was published in Vol. 4 of the Irish Melodies. One of the most successful ballad composers in London at the beginning of the twentieth century was Frank Lambert (1868–1925). Lambert’s original setting of She is Far from the Land has made it one of the most popular Irish songs in the repertoire.
She is Far from the Land (Text by Thomas Moore/ Arranger Frank Lambert)
NCH Live Stream Series
She is far from the land where her young hero sleeps, And lovers around her are sighing; But coldly she turns from their gaze and weeps, For her heart in his grave is lying! She sings the wild song of her dear native plains, Every note which he loved awaking— Ah! little they think, who delight in her strains, How the heart of the minstrel is breaking! He had lived for his love, for his country he died, They were all that to life had entwined him, Nor soon shall the tears of his country be dried, Nor long will his love stay behind him. Oh! make her a grave where the sunbeams rest, When they promise a glorious to-morrow; They’ll shine o’er her sleep like a smile from the West From her own loved Island or Sorrow.
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