Elegy Fear no
more the heat o th sun
Elegy is a continuous
song-cycle built around Shakespeares poem Fear
no more the heat o th sun from Cymbeline, which appears as a Prologue,
Interlude and Epilogue. In contrast to
the stately, yet elegiac mood of this poem I have set three contrasting poems
that each reflect aspects of loss the pastoral To Meadows by Herrick, the pathetic and sad mad song of Ophelia How should I your true love know (from
Hamlet), and the richly expressive
anonymous Weep you no more, sad
fountains. The work was originally
conceived for six solo voices as an attempt to recreate in 20th century
terms some of the character and style of the great madrigal composers of the
first Elizabethan age. It is also a
piece of vocal chamber music, and the intimate and intricate nature of the
vocal writing requires from the singers a similar degree of flexibility and
interaction between the parts. It was
commissioned by the Purcell Consort of Voices, who gave the first performance
in October 1967 under the direction of Grayston
Burgess.
© Christopher Brown 2011