Dowland: His golden locks, Molly Netter, voice; The Voice of the Viol consort

John Dowland's song, His golden locks time hath to silver turned, Molly Netter with The Voice of the Viol; Wendy Gillespie, Elisabeth Reed & Farley Pearce, Elizabethan viols. The Voice of the Viol, directed by Elisabeth Reed, is a program of Voices of Music. One of Dowland's earliest works, it was performed before the Queen, November 17, 1590, during the Accession Day Tilts for the retirement of Sir Henry Lee, who was the the Queen's Champion and Armourer of Elizabeth I. The striking parlando opening reflects Dowland's familiarity with the new Italian styles; Dowland acknowledges the influence of the composer Marenzio in his preface to the publication of the work in his First Book of Songs (London, 1597). Text His golden locks Time hath to silver turned. O Time too swift! Oh swiftness never ceasing! His youth ’gainst Time and Age hath ever spurned, But spurned in vain, youth waneth by increasing. Beauty, strength, youth are flowers but fading seen; Duty, faith, love are roots and ever green. His helmet now shall make a hive for bees, And lover’s sonnets turn to holy psalms. A man-at-arms must now serve on his knees, And feed on prayers which are Age’s alms. But though from Court to cottage he depart, His Saint is sure of his unspotted heart. And when he saddest sits in homely cell, He’ll teach his swains this carol for a song: "Blest be the hearts that wish my Sovereign well. Curst be the soul that think her any wrong." Goddess, allow this aged man his right To be your bedesman now that was your knight. The poem, attributed on sparse evidence to George Peele, is remarkable for the change of focus, first general, then becoming a direct address as a closing couplet to Elizabeth I, leavened with a quotation in the form of a song within a song. As with many of Dowland's songs and instrumental music, the focus of the printed version is the consort, which can also be sung as a madrigal or performed as a lute song, as the string parts are texted. Elizabethan viols Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period and earlier (in this video), as well as an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries. The renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory. The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany. For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music. Entrenched in a multitude of styles from an early age, Canadian-American soprano Molly Netter enlivens complex and beautiful music both old and new. Noted for her “natural warmth” (LA Times) and “clear, beautiful tone” (NY Times), Molly’s voice can be heard on five Grammy nominated albums since 2017. #Dowland 8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger Audio engineer: David Tayler Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy Produced by David Tayler Score transcribed and arranged by Voices of Music Special thanks to Margaret Cohen. Copyright Voices of Music 2023.