David Lewiston Sharpe - In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn?

In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn?

Madrigal in Antique Style

David Lewiston Sharpe

Scoring SSATB solo voices

Duration: 5 mins approx.

Sonnet I from A Crowne of Sonnets dedicated to Love Lady Mary Wroth In this strange Labyrinth how shall I turn? – Ways are on all sides while the way I miss: If to the right hand, there, in love I burn, Let me go forward, therein danger is.

If to the left, suspicion hinders bliss; Let me turn back, shame cries I ought return: Nor faint, though crosses with my fortune’s kiss, Stand still is harder, although sure to mourn.

Thus let me take the right, or left hand way, Go forward, or stand still, or back retire: I must these doubts endure without allay Or help, but travel find for my best hire.

Yet that which most my troubled sense doth move, Is to leave all, and take the thread of Love.

Layout for performance Bass

Tenor Soprano I Soprano II

Alto

Soprano I, who is here allegorically representative of Ariadne’s Thread, – potentially to lead the sonnet’s narrator from the Labyrinth of heart-wrung figurative incarceration – should stand at a distance from the other performers, looking away (as if to lead them) and sing throughout at a dynamic level quiet enough still to be heard with some clarity, but yet distantly.

DLS

for Katherine and Erato

In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn?

Madrigal in antique style Text: Lady Mary Wroth

David LEWISTON SHARPE

Poco lento. Mesto q = c.76

Sop 1

   



sempre pp espress. e legatiss.

           



[ARIADNE'S THREAD]

Take

   p Sop 2  

      

How Alto

  

shall

p

How

Tenor

I

   





p

How

shall

Love

più f





turn?

In

  

 

turn?



shall I

       Bass 

   

più dim.



più f



più dim.

shall I

p       How



the thread of



In

   

più dim.

più f





turn?





I

turn?

In

   



più f



più dim.

  S.2   



  

the



 

A.





this strange

La

-



  



this strange

 La

-



how ten.

by - rinth

by -

 



how



ten.

shall

  shall

   

più f ten.

rinth

Copyright © 2007 by David Lewiston Sharpe.

how shall



      

how,

   



Love,

più f

how,

  

  

of



          this strange La - by - rinth

T.

B.



thread

ten.

this strange La - by - rinth



In

4                 S.1           

take



   

I





I





shall

I

 I

2

p espress.

                  S.1              7

take

S.2

the thread of Love, take

     

A.

the thread of Love,









poco mf

turn?









turn?

B.



  

 are



10

Love,

  S.2   





 

on

on

all,

all

all sides,



B.

    Ways



  

Ways

are

on all sides,

the

poco mf



on all sides

T.

poco mf

take

          sides



                      

Ways

A.

are

  

turn?

  S.1   

of



Ways

poco mf      turn? Ways

T.

take the thread

 on

      

are on all

sides,







 sides,



while

the



while

the

  

 più p 



while,

while

the





sides,



 più p   più p 

all

all

thread,

all







are

on

all

sides,

 sides,

 più p  while



the

  

3

              13

S.1

thread of

  S.2  



way A.

  

I

    way

 I

   B. 



way

I



take

  

miss:



   

miss, the

 way

miss, the way

I

I

I

take

S.2

    right

A.

   right

T.

    right

 B.    right

the

thread

 hand,

 hand,

 hand,



hand,



  

there,

 there,



If

to



  the



If

to

the

p







If

to

the

         







in

 













love

love

in

love





in

the





in

there,





Love

there,



to





,

miss:

of

If

p

miss:

16



p

,

        S.1             



,

miss:

     

miss,

p

,

  

        

sempre pp

             



I

way

T.

Love,



love

I

burn,

I

I

burn,

burn,

   I

burn,

4

poco                     S.1   19

take

  S.2   Let

A.

  

Let

T.

   



Let

B.

    Let

the

thread





me

go

for







me

go

ward





for poco cresc.

me

go

for

ward





me

go

-











for

-





,

is.

A.

 







is.

T.

   

 





is.

     B.   is.













  



shall

p

dan

there - in

dan - ger



I

-

    

più dim.

    

più dim.







I

turn?

How p

shall

I

 



shall

I



    

più dim.

turn?

    

più dim.

turn?

ger

 

turn?

 

How

 



  

 



there - in p

 



 

shall

p

- ger

dan - ger



ward

dan

there - in p

      

p

How

,

there - in p



How

,

       

ward

22 ,      S.1      

  S.2   

p

 -





Love

  



poco cresc.

of



5

sempre pp e legatiss.

                  S.1              25

take

the

  mp  S.2  



If mp

to

A.

T.

B.



the



If

to

the





to

the

mp

  



If

to

    S.1       28

  S.2   

 



 

T.



       



sus - pi - cion hin -













  



left,





the





    

poco pp

left,

sus - pi - cion,



               

of

Love

the thread of

Love

                   poco pp

ders

        

 

bliss,

poco pp



sus

-

sus più f

  

sus - pi - cion hin - ders bliss,

  

 pi

 

più f

sus - pi - cion hin - ders bliss,

poco pp                sus - pi - cion hin - ders bliss, bliss,

 B.   

poco pp

sus-

sus - pi - cion, sus - pi - cion,

hin -

ders

left,

           pi - cion

poco pp

left,





bliss,

A.





  

mp      If



thread

-

cion hin

 -

ders









bliss,

sus

 

6

,                 

        S.1      31

take

the

  S.2       



        





pi - cion hin - ders bliss;

A.

B.





Let



pi - cion hin - ders bliss;

T.

p

      

  

       

più f



poco

più f

the



me

turn





me

back,



turn

shame

 poco mf  

back,

p

bliss;

 

shame

,

p

 

bliss;

 



poco mf

shame

shame,

poco

sus - pi - cion hin - ders

 poco mf  



 



sus - pi - cion hin - ders



p

Let

   

thread



, poco mf

shame,

shame

34                       S.1      

thread

S.2

   

cries

the





I

ought

    

A.

  

cries

      cries I

T.

B.



   cries

I

ought

 ought





I

ought

thread

  



re - turn:

 re

-

 re

-





Nor

faint,

poco stacc.



Nor



turn:





 

faint,

 

 though





turn:

 -



turn:



 re



of Love, poco stacc.

 though

poco stacc.





Nor

faint,





Nor

faint,

poco stacc.

 

7

poco

        37

S.1





           Love,

legato

      S.2  



   



cros - ses with my for - tune's kiss,

       legato

A.



   

T.



legato



   

for

 B.   

legato







  



-



   



   

though cros - ses with my for - tune's kiss,

kiss,

  

 

 



for - tune's

cros - ses with my for - tune's kiss,

   



 

tune's kiss, pp



 

Stand pp





though cros - ses with my for - tune's kiss,

  S.1    40



  S.2   

 



Stand

  

A.

pp

 Stand

    still

T.

B.



 





 

 



 

still

 

   

    take



still

still

p



 

pp

Stand



 

 





is

har





is

har





is

har





is

har

   -

-

der,

  

der,

   -

-

der,

  

der,

8

rit. -

   S.1    43

      the

  S.2    A.

 



al

T.

    al

-

thread

   

al

- though sure to



though

though

  B.    

        

sure

mourn.

to







sure

to

mourn.





al - though sure

to

  How p





shall

I

    

 How p

shall

 



How p





How



  mf S.2   Thus

A.

 mf    Thus

    Thus mf

T.

turn?

   I

,

turn?

 



 

shall

I

turn?

,

A tempo

take

mf

 B.   

Thus

the thread of

 let



me

 

let

me





take

the





take

the







let

me

take







let

me

take

 the



the

   

Love,

     

right, or



right,



right,

 right,



mf

left hand way, mf

    

 

or

left hand way,



 

or

left hand way,

 or

 

 Go



       

left hand way,

,

 

   p              S.1            46

,

turn?

I

shall

 

mourn.

,

       

p

mourn.

   



- Più lento

Love,



 -

of

-

Go

mf

 Go

mf

 Go

9

       S.1       49

   S.2  

Love,

   

Love,

   









 

for - ward,

   

   

 T.     for    B.  

   

A.





for - ward,

-

or

     

B.



 



still,

 



stand

still,



or



or

stand

 



stand

still,





 





or



 

  

still,

  



back







re - tire:

 or

T.

stand

p

52

A.



    

  S.1       

p

ward,

for - ward,

S.2



or p

 

p

back

 

 









or

back





  



re - tire:

re -

   or

back

tire:





re -

tire:

  più f





How

10

  S.1    55

            pp





take

  più S.2   

f

How più f

A.

  

How

T.

       shall

  

shall

più f      How



  S.1       

I

turn?

    

dure

A.

 

 dure

T.

I

dure

I p legato

   I

 p legato  

turn?

I



p legato   

I

turn?

   

I

  

with - out



 al

   

-

lay

   

with - out

 al

  



with - out

al

thread,

the





must

these

doubts









must

these

doubts

en









must

these

doubts

en







must

these

doubts

  

Or





-

-

 en

-



help,



al - lay

Or

 



  









-

en -

Love,



-





               

of

        dure with - out

 B.   





thread

S.2

turn?

 

shall

shall

58

I



      B. 



 p legato  

the

lay



lay

Or

  Or

help,

  

but tra - vel

help,

help,

poco più f

11

  S.1   61





ppp



    Love,

  S.2  

poco più f

        



   

but tra - vel find for my best hire.

       

A.

find for my best hire,

   

T.

      

for poco più f

my

best

hire.

  



     but tra - vel find

for

     

my best hire,

poco più f

B.

   



               

for my best



hire.

   

but tra - vel find for my best hire, for my best hire.

      S.1   64

  S.2      

A.

mp cresc.



 











Yet

that

which

most,

mp cresc.







Yet

that

which

    

T.

B.





Yet



poco mf



most,





most,

poco mf



most,

mp cresc.





 that

which

mp

  



Yet that which





most

my

trou - bled

  

 most

 

my trou - bled



poco mf







most,

most

my

trou - bled

poco mf







most

my

trou - bled







 most,



12 p espress. e legatiss.

                   

  S.1     67

take

  S.2    

 

sense

  

A.

sense

 

doth

        sense doth

T.

B.

doth

   

sense

the thread of



 move,





move,



 move,





doth

move,

Love,









Is

to

leave

all,









Is

to

leave

all,

 

    



to

Is

to

rit.

jeave

all,

leave

all

-

-

-

               S.1            70

  S.2   

the

thread

  



take

  

A.

take

    take

T.

B.



  

take

the



  

thread

of

of

and poco p

   

and poco p



   

and poco p

   

and

-

-



 



 



Love.





thread



Love.





the



of

 poco p   





Is



take

Love.







the

thread

of









the

thread

of

Love.

Love.





 





 





 

Loughton, 20–21 October 2007