“HARMONY ON TAP”

Vitrum Nostrum Gloriosum – Anonymous c. 1540 (Germany)

• Our opening item tonight is a drinking song which is a blatant parody of ecclesiastical chanting and, as The King’s Singers remind us, “should not be sung too beautifully!”
• The artwork that adorns your coaster was drawn by François Thibault.

How glorious is our [drinking] glass, how pleasing to God. Raise it up! Come on, drink up till not a drop is left. Down the hatch! Now, that’s all inside me. Three cheers for our glass!

Come Again! Sweet Love Doth Now Invite – Jown Dowland (c. 1563–1626, England)

• This is one of John Dowland’s most famous lute songs, composed in the late 16th century. Although its text is often interpreted as a deeply romantic and melancholic expression of love, it can also be viewed through a more suggestive, bawdy lens – common in Renaissance poetry, in which double meanings and wordplay were prevalent!
• Listen again to this piece in this recording by rock musician Sting from his 2006 album, Songs from the Labyrinth.

Come again!
Sweet love doth now invite
Thy graces that refrain
To do me due delight,
To see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to die,
With thee again in sweetest sympathy.

 

Come again!
That I may cease to mourn
Through thy unkind disdain;
For now left and forlorn
I sit, I sigh, I weep, I faint, I die
In deadly pain and endless misery.

 

Gentle Love,
Draw forth thy wounding dart,
Thou canst not pierce her heart;
For I, that do approve
By sighs and tears more hot than are thy shafts
Did tempt while she for triumph laughs.

The Highway Code – Devised by John Horrex and The Master Singers (1966)

• Don’t drink and stroll! This is a humorous and clever parody of traditional Anglican chant, in which the text of the UK Highway Code (the official manual that guides road users) is set to four-part chant that is typically used for singing psalms.

1. The Highway | Code, Part | One. : The | Road | User on | Foot.

2. Walk-|-ing a-|-long, : where there is a pav-e-ment, or |ade·quate | footpath, | use it.

3. On a pav-e-ment or footpath, do not walk next to the kerb with your | back to the | traffic. : Do not step into the | road with·out | first | looking.

4. Where there is no | ade·quate | footpath, : walk on the right of the | road to face | on·com-ing | traffic.

5. Do not loiter in the roadway, or | walk a·long | cycle tracks. : A marching body on the road should | keep on the | left hand | side.

6. It should have lookouts at suitable distances at the | front and | rear, : and at night they should carry lights; white at the front of the | column, and | red · at the | rear.

7. Always use subways, foot bridges, pedestrian crossings or central refuges | when pro-|-vided. : Otherwise, cross where you have a clear | view of the | road both | ways.

8. Take extra care if your | view is | limited : by sta-ti-on-ary vehicles, or | other ob-|-struc-ti-|-ons.

9. Be-|-fore you | cross, : stop at the kerb, look right, look | left and | right a-|-gain.

10. Do not cross until the | road is | clear, : then cross at right angles, keeping a careful | look out | all the | time.

11. Do not cross the road, either at a zebra | crossing or | elsewhere, : against a signal to stop by a police | officer con-|-trolling | traffic.

12. Do not get on or off a bus or tram while it is moving, or when it is not at a recognis-ed stopping place. Do not step out suddenly from behind a sta-ti-on-ary or slowly moving bus or tram. If you want to get on one at a request stop, give a clear signal | for it to | stop, : and do not step into the | road un-|-til it has | stop-ped.

13. Prepar-ed by the | Ministry of | Transport : and | Civil | A-vi-|-a-ti-on,

14. And the | Central | Office : of | In-for-|-ma-ti-|on.

Geographical Fugue – Ernst Toch (1930), adapted by Fran Laenen and Bevan Timm

• This is based on an avant-garde choral piece written by the German composer Ernst Toch in 1930. It is one of the most famous examples of speech-based choral music, in which the singers do not sing in the traditional sense, but rather chant or speak the words rhythmically, creating complex patterns and textures with their voices.
• It was adapted by two of our singers, Fran and Bevan, to reflect uniquely Southern African place names!

Kakamas!
And the great Mapungubwe
And the Putsonderwater
And the green Tsitsikamma
It’s not Port Elizabeth rather Gqeberha
Bethlehem, Butterworth, Kuruman, Kimberley
Rage in Plett, in Plett, in Plett, in Plett
Bela-Bela, ‘Manzimtoti

Earth – Imogen Heap (b. 1977, England)

• The song is inspired by English singer-songwriter Imogen Heap’s concern for environmental issues, with lyrics that call attention to the damage humanity inflicts on the planet. It is also a reference to our recent series of immersive performances that was inspired by the splendour of the natural world, Tree of Life.

Baby, behave, we’ll make it work

 

Are you with me?

 

You’re not golden
And I’m getting tired
Act like you own the place
When really you’ve only just arrived

 

I caught first glimmers
In hides and skins
Look who’s all grown up
Black swanning about the solar winds

 

You’re gonna lose it all
And find yourself on your knees
So, get a grip and you might
Flow, reverse the great, slow bleed

 

I’ve tried patience, but
You always want a war
This house won’t tolerate any more
Stop this right away

 

Put that down and clean this mess up
End of conversation
Put your back in it and
Make it up to me now

 

The cold shoulder
Folded arms and looking up
You’ve never listened
And carry on careless, regardless

 

This is not a fire drill and
If we hold any hope
It’s harmonic connection
And stereos in symbiosis

 

These Lego-land empires
Choking out mine now
You’re everywhere, everywhere
Multiplying around me, child

 

A strain on my heart
This rock can’t tolerate any more
Stop this right away

 

Put that down and clean this mess up
End of conversation
Put your back in it and
Make it up to me now

 

Baby, behave, we’ll make it work

 

You’re only what you give back

 

Are you with me?

 

You’re only what you give back

Viva La Vida – Coldplay (2008), arranged by Jens Johansen

• This is a downtempo choral arrangement of one of Coldplay’s most famous stadium anthems! It explores themes of power (and its transience), loss, redemption and regret…

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning, I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

 

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
Now the old king is dead, long live the king
One minute, I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

 

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin’
Roman Cavalry choirs are singin’
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason, I can’t explain
Once you’d gone, there was never, never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

 

It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I’d become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Ah, who would ever wanna be king?

 

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin’
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason, I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Wellerman – Traditional New Zealand sea shanty, arranged by Jake Alexander

• This is a sea shanty, a traditional sailors’ work song, that became incredibly popular in the 19th century, particularly in New Zealand. The song narrates the experiences of whalers in the region and has enjoyed renewed global popularity due to viral videos in recent years.

There once was a ship that put to sea,
And the name of the ship was the Billy Of Tea,
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down,
Blow, me bully boys, blow. (Huh!)

 

Soon may the Wellerman come,
To bring us sugar and tea and rum,
One day when the tonguin’ is done,
We’ll take our leave and go.

 

She had not been two weeks from shore,
When down on her a right whale bore,
The captain called all hands and swore,
He’d take that whale in tow.

 

Before the boat had hit the water
The whale’s tail came up and caught her,
All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her,
When she dived down below. (Huh!)

 

No line was cut, no whale was freed,
The Captain’s mind was not of greed,
But he belonged to the Whaleman’s creed,
She took that ship in tow.

 

For forty days or even more,
The line went slack then tight once more,
All boats were lost, there were only four,
And still the whale did go. (Huh!)

 

The line was cut, the whale was freed,
The Captain’s mind was not of greed,
Buthe belonged to the Whaleman’s creed,
And he let that whale go. (Huh!)

What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor – Traditional, arranged by Henry Mills

• This is a traditional English sea shanty! Join us for the lines listed in bold:

1. What shall we do with the drunken sailor? (x 3)

Ear-lye in the morning.

Hooray and up she rises, ear-lye in the morning!

 

2. Put him in the longboat till he’s sober (x 3) …

 

3. Pull out the plug and wet him all over (x 3) …

 

4. Put him in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him (x 3) …

Butterfly – Mia Makaroff (b. 1970, Finland)

• This is a contemporary choral piece by Finnish composer Mia Makaroff, known for her work in modern a cappella and choral music. Like the butterfly about which we are singing, it reminds us that good things do not last forever – that beauty and freedom are fleeting and ephemeral – and that we should appreciate life while we can!

Sweet is the touch of your newborn wings
We fly in circles and play with the sun
We haven’t seen this world before
So fair, so bright, so blue the sky

 

Love me, love me on the leaves
Before we say goodbye
Love me, kiss me with the breeze
You will be my lullaby
Tomorrow I’ll die
Tomorrow I’ll die
Tomorrow I’ll die
You’ll be my lullaby

 

Love me, kiss me with the breeze
Kiss me with the breeze
Kiss me with the breeze
Kiss me with the breeze
Love me, love me on the leaves
Love me, love me

 

Love me, love me on the leaves
Before we say goodbye
Love me, kiss me with the breeze
You’ll be me lullaby

 

Tomorrow I’ll die

 

Sweet is the wind as it gently blows
The day away, and the nighttime comes
Great are the wonders that silence shows
I fall asleep, and I dream of the sun
And my butterfly

Thank you for joining us tonight! Please let us know what you enjoyed the most by emailing us at [email protected] or tagging us on social media! We would love to hear from you – especially in case we decide to host another “Harmony on Tap”!