User:Rambo's Revenge/Pages/Lay a garland (Pearsall)

"Lay a Garland" is a popular English madrigal compostion in E♭ major. It was written by Robert Lucas de Pearsall on 4 June 1840 and is scored for two sopranos, two altos, two tenors and two basses or as it is more commonly written SSAATTBB. The piece is based on a poem from the the play a The Maid's Tragedy written in 1608-11. It has been recorded by many choirs including Cambridge Singers, Oxford Camerata and Coro and also been performed by notable choirs, such as BYU Singers.

Words
The text is taken from the song in Beaumont and Fletcher's play The Maid's Tragedy Act II, Scene I. . The song is sung by Aspasia where her betrothed is forced into a marriage of convenience to the king's mistress. The words original words are as follows:

Lay a garland on my hearse of the dismal yew. Maidens, willow branches wear, say I died true. My love was false, but I was firm from my hour of birth.. Upon my buried body lie lightly, gentle earth.

However Pearsall's music is set to these adapted words changed from first to third person

Lay a garland on her hearse of dismal yew. Maidens, willow branches wear, say she died true. Her love was false, but she was firm Upon her buried body lie lightly, thou gentle earth.


 * I: These words were present in the original poem by Beaumont and Fletcher but omitted in the composition
 * II: Word was added to the into the composition.