All Creatures Now

In a recent article about going a'maying (winner of an award for appropriate punctuation: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976996120 ) I noted the remarkable English composer of madrigals, Thomas Morley.

I know several of his compostions very well, having performed some of them dozens of times when I sang with a small vocal music ensemble in upper school and at University.

Writing about "Now is the Month of Maying" brought back memories of "Fa Una Canzona" by Orrazio Vecchi, (1550-1605, Italy), "April is in My Mistress' Face" by Thomas Morley, 1558-1603), and "All Creatures Now are Merry-Minded" by John Bennet (1570-1615, English).

Bennet's madrigal, "All Creatures Now Are Merry-Minded" was published with other songs and madrigals in a volume entitled, "The Triumphs of Oriana" in honor of Queen Elizabeth the first.

The madrigal was the most important form of secular music in the era in which it flourished, the second half of the 16th Ccentury. It arose in Italy, where late Renaissance prosperity and learning created an environment in which a skillful diversion could be practiced and admired.

The form, which was a fluid trasition from harmonic ecclesiastical styles to a more flexible and innovative secular format, soon spread throughout Europe. England, in the great bloom of Tudor prosperity and peace, adopted and treasured the madrigal.
Although opera and dialogues, the cantata, and oratorios displaced the madrigal throughout most of Europe by 1630, the English continued to make creative innovations in the form. In the British Isles, madrigal singing endured much longer as a favored diversion of the rural aristocracy.

Madrigal singing usually involves a small emsemble of eight to sixteen voices, depending on the complexity of the music and whether voices "double up" on parts.

Madrigals involve tight harmonies in four parts, which sometimes separate into eight parts.

Unlike most choral music, the madrigal is usually performed unaccompanied by instruments, or "a cappella". The italian phrase betrays the ecclesiastical origins of the music.

The experience of singing in a madrigal ensemble was the most disciplined musical work that I have ever done. You must attend continuously to pitch and tone, and to the other singers.

When we performed, a pitch was given at the beginning of each set. We would perform the piece, then sound our pitches for the next piece without the aid of tuning fork or a pitch pipe. The same for the third piece.
It was a triumph to end, as we always did, exactly on the pitch as sounded again by the pitch pipe.

My ear and voice have never been as good as they were in that tight group. Every missed note was immediately known to each peer, because you were often the only voice on the note. It required a discipline of attention and hearing, and sounding the tones and the multiple languages in which we sang.

But the discipline of practice was made worthwhile by the sheer delight and exuberance of the music. If you can know an age by the sounds of the music enjoyed in the period, this was a time of enormous joy and sensual delight.

This link takes you to a web-page offering a glorious rendition of the song: (Hit the green"play" arrow on the page)
http://www.toptempo.com/song/song_0000280.html

All creatures now are merry minded.
The shepherds`daughters playing,
the nymphs are falalaing
Yond bugle was well winded.

At Oriana`s presence each thing smileth.
The flowers themselves discover,
birds over her do hover,
music the time beguileth.

See where she comes with flowery garlands crowned,
queen of all queens renowned.
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana:
Long live fair Oriana.