"Merciles Beautè" by Michael Scherperel

Merciles Beautè

a song in three parts for baritone and cello by

Michael Scherperel with words by Geoffrey Chaucer (text in Middle English)

www.michaelscherperel.com

V0049-002-F2014

Merciles Beautè a song in three parts for baritone* and cello by

Michael Scherperel with words by Geoffrey Chaucer

* or tenor...see Performance Note later in the preface Music Š copyright 2011 Michael Scherperel all rights reserved.

The Chaucer text is in the public domain.

Cover illustration: Warwick Goble "Merciless Beauty", royalty free from www.eonimages.com V0049-002-F2014 www.michaelscherperel.com

Chaucer’s Merciles Beautè and Middle English pronunciation Middle English was in a state of great flux during Chaucer’s time. There were large regional variants in orthography, pronunciation, and even grammar and syntax. The suggestions for pronunciation made here are just that: suggestions. The composer makes no claim to being a scholar in Medieval languages—but he has consulted at least one such for some validation.

Vowels are generally those which most singers consider “Italian” vowels. There was a phenomenon in English known as the Great Vowel Shift which was beginning even in Chaucer’s day and was pretty much complete by Shakespeare’s. In Middle English, “a” is “ah”  , “e” is “ay” , and “i” is “ee”  (none of these are diphthongs, however). By the time of Elizabeth the First, “a” had become “ay” (eor more probably [eɪ]), “e” had become “ee” i, and “i” had become the diphthong “aye” aɪ . This makes Middle English much more difficult to hear than it is to read. Words such as “I” and “me” look like what they are but would be heard as “ee” i and “may” maɪ.

The inflectional “e” at the end of words is nearly always pronounced, so we have “loh-vuh” [lovə] rather than “luv” for the word spelled “l-o-v-e”. Liaison between adjacent vowels is common—and in music, just as problematical as in French (Modern or Middle). The composer elected to let the scansion dictate for the most part. (These poems are iambic pentameter with 10- or 11-syllable lines.)

There are no silent consonants: “know” is “kuh-noh” [kno]. The digraph “gh” is pronounced like German “ch”: “though” is “thouX” [θoʊx ].

Diphthongs are falling, i.e. the first vowel is the prominent one: “availeth” is “ahVIuh-leth” [avai ̯ləθ]; “trouthe” is “TROu-thuh” [trou̯θə ]. th is always voiceless according to some authorities but not others. The composer has chosen to use θ in all cases and never ð.

The composer has attempted to provide an IPA transcription in the score. The composer claims, as with Middle English, no great expertise in IPA (disclaimer).

There follows here the lexical and orthographical form of the text that the composer employed for the creation of these songs. This poem is commonly called a

triple rondel, though the sections are not in any of the strict French rondel forms.

In some anthologies, the three sections are separated by subtitles. This approach led the composer to write three separate songs but with the intent always that the entire set would be sung as a single piece.

Merciles beautè Your yën two wol slee me sodenly, I may the beautè of hem not sustene, So woundeth hit through-out my herte kene.

And but your word wol helen hastily My hertes wounde, whyl that hit is grene, Your yën two wol slee me sodenly, I may the beautè of hem not sustene.

Upon my trouthe I sey yow feithfully, That ye ben of my lyf and deeth the quene; For with my deeth the trouthe shal be sene.

Your yën two wol slee me sodenly, I may the beautè of hem not sustene, So woundeth hit through-out my herte kene.

So hath your beautè fro your herte chaced Pitee, that me ne availeth not to pleyne; For Daunger halt your mercy in his cheyne.

Giltless my deeth thus han ye me purchaced; I sey yow sooth, me nedeth not to feyne; So hath your beautè from your herte chaced Pitee, that me ne availeth not to pleyne.

Allas! That nature hath in yow compassed So greet beautè, that no man may atteyne To mercy, though he sterve for the peyne.

So hath your beautè from your herte chaced Pitee, that me ne availeth not to pleyne; For Daunger halt your mercy in his cheyne.

Sin I fro Love escaped am so fat, I never thenk to ben in his prison lene;

Sin I am free, I counte him not a bene.

He may answere, and seye this or that; I do no fors, I speke right as I mene.

Sin I fro Love escaped am so fat, I never thenk to ben in his prison lene.

Love hath my name y-strike out of his sclat, And he is strike out of my bokes clene For ever-mo; ther is non other mene.

Sin I fro Love escaped am so fat, I never thenk to ben in his prison lene; Sin I am free, I counte him not a bene.

Many modern “translations” are available. Due to possible copyright issues, the composer refrains from providing any here and encourages the singer (and cellist) to consult one (or more) of the innumerable online resources.

A few words which may prove problematical are “translated” here: Yën – eyes Pleyne – complain Daunger – pride (pronounced, incidentally, “down-jer” [daʊndzɛr]) Giltless – doubtless Sooth – indeed Fors – other (“I do no fors” – “I care not”) Sclat – slate Performance note: The range and tessitura of these songs render them readily approachable by a tenor. The sections marked falsetto should be so sung, however, regardless of the voice type.

Merciles Beautè for Thomas Cavendish

Geoffrey Chaucer

Michael Scherperel

fyrst rondel Baritone

 

Cello

 

( = 72)

freely

4

B

4

Vlc.

7

B

7

Vlc.

 

freely



  



( = 72)

     

Your y - ën joʊr i jən

two two



accel.

so - den - ly, so dən li

3

       

             3

     



                      

     



 



 

wol slee wol sle

me me



3



 



so - den - ly, so dən li

  

  

   I i

                               rit.  Copyright ©2011 Michael Scherperel All rights reserved www.michaelscherperel.com

2



11

B

Merciles Beautè - fyrst rondel

 may maɪ

           the beau θə bo

-

-

-

tè te

  

      

of hem ɔf hɛm

not sus nɔt su

-

te - ne, ste nə

So so

                           

11

Vlc.

   

14

B

wound - eth woʊn dəθ

   

hit* (h)ɪt

through θroʊ

        

14

Vlc.

            -



out xoʊt

  

my her - te mi hɛr tə



               

17

B

but bʊt

your word wol he - len joʊr wɜrd wol he lən

has - ti - ly hɑs tə li

My hert - es mi hɛr təs





ke - ne. ke nə



 

And ɑnd

 

  

   

woun - de, woʊn də

whyl that hit is hwil θɑt (h)ɪt ɪs

                        

17

Vlc.



20

B

   gre - ne, gre nə

Vlc.







        3      20            3 3  * silent h optional

   

freely sotto voce

Your joʊr

colla voce

          y i

-

ën two wol slee me jən two wol sle me



ADDITIONAL PAGES REDACTED

secounde rondel

 

Baritone

 = 60



 = 60

            (sul D) (sul A)

Cello





       

            

con sordino

4

B

4

Vlc.

7

B

            



Vlc.

your beau - tè joʊr bo te

     vai vaɪ

7

  

So hath so haθ

  

-



leth ləθ

        

   

        

 not nɔt



to to

pley pleɪ

 

fro your her - te fro joʊr hɛr tə

   

chac - ed Pi - tee, tʃa səd pi te

that me ne'a θɑt me ne̯ a

                

 -

ne, nə



  







pley - ne; pleɪ ne



    

For Daun fɔr daʊn

 



                

-

-

 

6

Merciles Beautè - secounde rondel

         

  

10

B

-

ger dʒɛr

halt halt

your joʊr

 

B

cy si

 

       13          

B

chac - ed; tʃa səd

I sey yow sooth, i seɪ joʊ soθ

                

20

B



20

Vlc.

a tempo





a tempo





 







han han

-

ne. nə

ne ne

-

          

  

hath your beaut - è haθ joʊr bo te

fro fro

your joʊr

hert - e cha hɛr tə tʃa



 





me pur me pɛr

  

     

deth not to dəθ nɔt to







me me

ye je

       

       riten.     



sotto voce

So so



thus θʊs

               

16

Vlc.

my deeth mi deθ

         



16

his chey his tʃeɪ

         



Gilt - less gɪlt lɛs

Vlc.

in in



(sul G)



13

-

  

                          

        

10

Vlc.

mer mer





feyn - e; feɪ ne

      

riten.

-







ced səd

Pi pi

 -

tee, te

         

ADDITIONAL PAGES REDACTED

thridde rondel

   = 124 

Baritone

B

3

Vlc.

6

B

6

Vlc.

9

B



Vlc.

staccato e marcato arco

Sin sɪn

I i

fro fro

Love lov

es - cap - ed am so ɛ ska pəd am so pizz.

                 arco                             pizz.

arco

 





fat, fat arco

   



I nev - er i nɛ vɜr pizz.

thenk θɛŋk

        

                               

  le le

9

 = 124



pizz. arco  pizz.                                       senza sordino               

 

Cello

3



  -

-

 -

ne; nə

       arco

      

   

*clap! Sin sɪn   pizz.

to to



ben in his pris - on ben in hɪs pri zon

       







I i

fro fro

Love lov

        

es ɛ

-

            

*Singer clap hands together or snap fingers

10

Merciles Beautè - thridde rondel

          

         

11

B

 le le

-

ne; nə

I i



I i

   

15



Sin sin

col legno



18

Vlc.



I i



count - e him koʊn tə him





am am

a tempo arco





 not nɔt

       arco

 

18

B





          full voice

Vlc.

in his pris - on in hɪs pri zon

falsetto

15

B

nev - er thenk to ben nɛ vɜr θɛŋk to ben

free, fre

                                                

13

Vlc.

fat, fat

   

13

B

so so

                            

11

Vlc.

cap - ed am ska pəd am



  

 He he

 a a



    be - ne. be nə

 





pizz.

       riten.  may maɪ

pizz. arco  pizz.                                  

Merciles Beautè - thridde rondel



20

B



20

Vlc.



23

B



an an

-

swere, swɛr





I i arco

 

do do

no no

 

  -

-

 -

ne. nə

       

26

arco

         

28

B

cap - ed am ska pəd am

      





and ɑnd

fors, fɔrs

so so

fat, fat

        

 

I spe - ke i spe kə

right rixt

Sin sin

  







  as as

I i

              







I i

fro fro

Love lov

 

es e

-

             pizz.

           I i



   

  

clap!

se - ye this or that; se jə θis ɔr θɑt

      





nev - er thenk to ben nɛ vɜr θɛŋk to ben

      

in his pris - on in hɪs pri zon

                            

28

Vlc.



se - ye this or that, se jə θis ɔr θɑt

 pizz.                   

me me

Vlc.

and ɑnd

arco

26

B

    



pizz.                                    

23

Vlc.



11

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