VINICHORAL III

Two Pastoral Ballads

Arranged by John Rutter (b. 1945, England)
Adapted by Matthew Dennis (b. 1991, South Africa) for VOX Cape Town

DOWN BY THE SALLEY GARDENS
Words: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939, Ireland)

Down by the salley gardens
My love and I did meet.
She passed the salley gardens
With little snow-white feet.
She bid me take love easy,
As the leaves grow on the tree;
But I, being young and foolish,
With her did not agree.

In a field by the river
My love and I did stand,
And on my leaning shoulder
She laid her snow-white hand.
She bid me take life easy,
As the grass grows on the weirs.
But I was young and foolish,
And now am full of tears.

THE SPRIG OF THYME
Words: Traditional (Lincolnshire)

Once I had a sprig of thyme.
It prospered by night and by day
‘Til a false young man came a-courting to me,
And he stole all this thyme away.

The gardener was standing by:
I bid him choose for me.
He chose me the lily and the violet and the pink,
But this I refused all three.

Thyme it is the prettiest thing,
And time it will grow on,
And time it will bring all things to an end,
And so does my time grow on.

It’s very well drinking ale,
And it’s very well drinking wine:
But it’s far better sitting by a young man’s side
Who has won this heart of mine.

Clarinet: Matthew Ferrandi

UBI CARITAS

Music: Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978, Norway)

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exultemus, et in ipso iucundemur.
Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.

Where charity and love are, God is there.
Christ’s love has gathered us into one.
Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him.
Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
And may we love each other with a sincere heart.

Piano: Clinton Claasen

CANTUS LACRIMOSUS from Stabat Mater

Music: Sir Karl Jenkins (b. 1944, Wales)
Text: 13th century

Stabat Mater dolorosa
juxta crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.

Cujus animam gementem,
contristatam et dolentem,
pertransivit gladius.

O quam tristis et afflicta
fuit illa benedicta
mater Unigeniti!

Quae maerebat et dolebat
pia Mater dum videbat
nati poenas incliti.

At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her Son to the last.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
all his bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.

O how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.

Christ above in torment hangs,
she beneath beholds the pangs
of her dying glorious Son.

Piano: Clinton Claasen

Extracts from Five Flower Songs

Music: Benjamin Britten (1913-1976, England)

TO DAFFODILS
Words: Robert Herrick (1591-1674, England)

Fair daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to evensong;
And, having pray’d together, we
Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay, as you.
We have as short a Spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die,
As your hours do, and dry
Away
Like to the Summer’s rain;
Or as the pearls of morning’s dew,
Ne’er to be found again!

THE SUCCESSION OF THE FOUR SWEET MONTHS
Words: Robert Herrick

First, April, she with mellow showers
Opens the way for early flowers,
Then after her comes smiling May
In a more rich and sweet array,
Next enters June and brings us more
Gems than those two that went before,
Then (lastly,) July comes and she
More wealth brings in than all those three;
April! May! June! July!

THE EVENING PRIMOSE
Words: John Clare (1793-1864, England)

When once the sun sinks in the west,
And dew-drops pearl the evening’s breast;
Almost as pale as moonbeams are,
Or its companionable star,

The evening primrose opes anew
Its delicate blossoms to the dew;
And, hermit-like, shunning the light,
Wastes its fair bloom upon the night;
Who, blindfold to its fond caresses,
Knows not the beauty he possesses.

Thus it blooms on while night is by;
When day looks out with open eye,
‘Bashed at the gaze it cannot shun,
It faints and withers and is gone.

AVE MARIS STELLA

Music: Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474, Belgium)

Ave maris stella
Dei Mater alma
Atque semper virgo,
Felix caeli porta.

Sumens illud “Ave”
Gabrielis ore,
Funda nos in pace
Mutans nomen Hevae.

Hail, star of the sea,
loving Mother of God,
and also always a virgin,
Happy gate of heaven.

Receiving that “Ave”
from Gabriel’s mouth,
confirm us in peace
Reversing Eve’s name.

Virgo singularis,
Inter omnes mitis,
Nos culpis solutos,
Mites fac et castos.

Vitam praesta puram,
Iter para tutum,
Ut videntes Jesum,
Semper colletemur.

O unique virgin,
Meek above all,
Make us, absolved from sin,
Gentle and chaste.

Keep life pure,
Make the journey safe,
So that, seeing Jesus,
We may always rejoice together.

O NATA LUX

Music: Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585, England)

O nata lux de lumine,
Jesu redemptor saeculi,
Dignare clemens supplicum
Laudes precesque sumere.

Qui carne quondam contegi
Dignatus es pro perditis,
Nos membra confer effici
Tui beati corporis.

O Light born of Light,
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
with loving-kindness deign to receive
suppliant praise and prayer.

Thou who once deigned to be clothed in flesh
for the sake of the lost,
grant us to be members
of thy blessed body.

CAGED BIRD

Music: Nicky Schrire (b. 1986, South Africa)
Words: Maya Angelou (1928-2014, United States)

A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing. 

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.