The song "Silent Worship" is a 1928 adaptation by
Arthur Somervell
Sir Arthur Somervell (5 June 18632 May 1937) was an English composer and art song writer. After Hubert Parry, he was one of the most successful and influential writers of art song in the English music renaissance of the 1890s–1900s. One of hi ...
of the
aria
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
"Non lo dirò col labbro" from
Handel's 1728 opera ''
Tolomeo
''Tolomeo, re d'Egitto'' ("Ptolemy, King of Egypt", HWV 25) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's ''Tolomeo et Alessandro''.
It was Handel ...
'' (''Ptolemy''). Somervell's English-language adaptation is for voice and piano, and it has remained a popular classic in song recitals and home music-making. Other arrangements of Somervell's translation include voice accompanied by a modern symphony orchestra, and male choir.
Handel / Somervell comparison
Musically
Arthur Somervell
Sir Arthur Somervell (5 June 18632 May 1937) was an English composer and art song writer. After Hubert Parry, he was one of the most successful and influential writers of art song in the English music renaissance of the 1890s–1900s. One of hi ...
's song is a simple transcription of the original Handel aria – with the orchestral parts reduced for piano, one or two slight changes in harmony, and the instrumental ending (postlude) omitted.
[Georg Friedrich Händel – "Silent Worship"](_blank)
sheet music at Boosey & Hawkes
The text is treated quite differently in the two versions:
* In the original Italian
baroque aria as set by Handel, the first part of the aria uses a single
couplet to express a single two-fold thought: "I will not say it with my lips, they do not have the courage". The words are repeated several times, to emphasize the lack of courage. The second part of the aria expresses a complement to the first, its antithesis – twice as many words for half as much music – and therefore not repeated: "Perhaps, with sparks from yearning eyes, my gaze will speak to reveal how I am consumed by flames". The first part of the aria is then repeated, in
A–B–A ''
da capo aria
The da capo aria () is a musical form for arias that was prevalent in the Baroque era. It is sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, often a small orchestra. The da capo aria is very common in the musical genres of opera and orato ...
'' form.
* Somervell's English adaptation took the basic thought and recast it to suit the aesthetic of a later era. Somervell expanded a two-line description of a static emotional state into a 16-line narrative, in which only a single line is repeated. Even the ''da capo'' – the reprise of the first part at the end – has a new
paraphrase
A paraphrase () is a restatement of the meaning of a text or passage using other words. The term itself is derived via Latin ', . The act of paraphrasing is also called ''paraphrasis''.
History
Although paraphrases likely abounded in oral tra ...
of the first text rather than the simple verbatim repetition which the baroque aria uses.
Popular culture
"Silent Worship" is featured in the
1996 film adaptation of
Jane Austen's novel ''
Emma'', where it is sung by
Gwyneth Paltrow (as
Emma) and
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...
(as Frank Churchill). Although Somervell's 1928 English adaptation of the 1728 Handel aria was done more than a century after Austen's 1815 novel, the original Italian aria was recorded in Jane Austen's own handwritten songbooks.
''Jane's Hand: The Jane Austen Songbooks''
(CD and MP3) In the film, Somervell's piano introduction to the song is shortened.
"Silent Worship"
Did you not hear My Lady
Go down the garden singing?
Blackbird and thrush were silent
To hear the alleys ringing.
Oh saw you not My Lady
Out in the garden there?
Shaming the rose and lily
For she is twice as fair.
Though I am nothing to her
Though she must rarely look at me
And though I could never woo her
I love her till I die.
Surely you heard My Lady
Go down the garden singing?
Silencing all the songbirds
And setting the alleys ringing.
But surely you see My Lady
Out in the garden there,
Rivaling the glittering sunshine
With a glory of golden hair.
"Non lo dirò col labbro"
Allessandro's cavatina
Cavatina is a musical term, originally meaning a short song of simple character, without a second strain or any repetition of the air. It is now frequently applied to any simple, melodious air, as distinguished from brilliant arias or recitatives ...
in act 1 of ''Tolomeo'':
Non lo dirò col labbro
Che tanto ardir non ha.
Forse con le faville
Dell'avide pupille,
Per dir come tutt'ardo,
Lo sguardo parlera.
I will not say it with my lips
Which have not that courage.
Perhaps the sparks
Of my burning eyes,
Revealing my passion,
My glance will speak.
References
External links
*, Kenneth McKellar (tenor), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Adrian Boult (conductor)
*, Thomas Allen (baritone)
*, Romina Basso
Romina Basso (born Gorizia) is an Italian mezzo-soprano with an extensive discography of baroque opera recordings. She is particularly noted for her performances of Vivaldi.Le FigarRinaldo Alessandrini et son Concerto Italiano"C'est cette version ...
(mezzo-soprano), Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis (conductor)
*
{{Authority control
Compositions by Arthur Somervell
1928 songs
English songs
Art songs
Arias by George Frideric Handel