Work
Three Songs on Old Texts
for soprano and piano
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About
These songs were written while at the University of Otago Wallace residence at Pah Homestead. The texts are all from around the 16th Century. The first, The Three Rauens, is of English origin, appearing as the text for a song in Thomas Ravenscroft's Melismata. The second, The Elphin Knight, is Scottish and is an older version of Scarborough Fair. The final song, Je ne l'ose dire, is the text from a madrigal by Pierre Certon, and is a gossip song about a man who is being cuckolded by his wife.
“With melody-line and form generally akin to Renaissance song, the contemporary harmonies and pianoforte style of accompaniment gave these delightful songs 21st century gilding.”
– Elizabeth Bouman, Otago Daily Times
Click here for the version for mezzo-soprano, viola and cello.
Commissioned note
Written for Helen Acheson, while at the University of Otago Wallace Arts Residency at Pah Homestead
Contents note
- The Three Rauens
- The Elphin Knight
- Je ne l'ose dire
Text note
Three three texts come from around the 16th century; The Three Rauens is the text from a song in Melismata published by Thomas Ravenscroft in 1611, The Elphin Knight is an old Scottish ballad which is the basis for the text for Scarborough Fair, and Je ne l’ose dire is the text from a madrigal by Pierre Certon published in 1572.
Performance history
29 Sep 2010: Performed by Helen Acheson (soprano) and John Van Buskirk (piano) at Marama Hall, University of Otago, in Dunedin
10 Feb 2024: Songs for Helen