MADRIGALS IN PRAISE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.
At the close of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, a musical work of an extraordinary character issued from the press of that industrious printer Thomas Este, the history of which it will be my endeavour to elucidate in the present communication. The title-page runs as follows:—
"MADRIGALES. THE TRIUMPHES OF ORIANA, to 5 and 6 voices: composed by divers severall aucthors. Newly published by Thomas Morley, Batcheler of Musick, and one of the gentlemen of hir Majesties honorable Chappell, 1601. In London, Printed by Thomas Este, the assigne of Thomas Morley. Cum privilegio Regiæ Majestatis."
The dedication is addressed—
"To the Right Honorable the Lord Charles Howard, Earle of Notingham, Baron of Effingham, Knight of the Noble order of the Garter, Lord High Admirall of England, Ireland, and Wales, &c., and one of her Majesties most honorable Privie Counsell."
As all that is known, with certainty, of the origin of this work consists in the title-page and the dedication, I shall make no apology for quoting the latter at length:—
"Right Honorable,
"I have adventured to dedicate these few discordant tunes to be censured by the ingenious disposition of your Lordship's Honorable rare perfection, perswading my selfe, that these labours, composed by me and others (as in the survey hereof, your Lordship may well perceive), may not by any meanes passe, without the malignitie of some malitious Momus, whose malice (being as toothsome as the adder's sting), couched in the progres of a wayfayring man's passage, might make him retire though almost at his journeyes end. Two speciall motives have imbouldened me (Right Honorable) in this my proceeding. First, for that I consider, that as the body cannot bee without the shadow, so Homer (the Prince of Poets) may not be without a Zoilist: The second and last is (the most forcible motive), I know (not onely by report, but also by experiment) your Lordship to bee not onely Philomusus, a lover of the Muses, and of learning; but Philomathes, a personage always desirous (though in all Arts sufficiently skilfull) to come to a more high perfection or Summum bonum. I will not trouble your Lordship with to to [sic] tedious circumstances, onely I humbly intreat your Lordship (in the name of many) to patronage this work with no lesse acceptance, then I with a willing and kinde hart dedicate it. So shall I think the initium of this worke not onely happely begun, but to bee finited with a more happie period.
"Your Honour's devoted in all dutie,
"THOMAS MORELY."
The Triumphs of Oriana consists of twenty-five madrigals, set by the most eminent musicians of the day, and edited (as the title-page and dedication show) by Thomas Morley, a most "rare and cunning musician," and moreover an especial favourite with the reigning queen, in whose honour the work is said to have been composed.
Sir John Hawkins, in his History of Music, vol. iii. p. 406., says the "occasion" of the publication of The Triumphs of Oriana was this:
"The Lord High Admiral, Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham, was the only person, who, in the last illness of Elizabeth, could prevail on her to go into and remain in her bed; and with a view to alleviate her concern for the execution of the Earl of Essex, he gave for a prize-subject to the poets and musicians of the time, the beauty and accomplishments of his royal mistress, and by a liberal reward, excited them severally to the composition of this work. This supposition is favoured by the circumstance of its being dedicated to the Earl, and the time of its publication, which was the very year that Essex was beheaded. There is some piece of secret history which we have yet to learn, that would enable us to account for giving the Queen this romantic name; probably she was fond of it. Camden relates that a Spanish ambassador had libelled her by the name of Amadis Oriana, and for his insolence was put under a guard."
Dr. Burney, in his sketch of the Life of Thomas Morley (General History of Music, vol. iii. p. 101.), speaking of this work, says,
"As Italy gave the ton to the rest of Europe, but particularly to England, in all the fine arts, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it seems as if the idea of employing all the best composers in the kingdom to set the songs in The Triumphs of Oriana to music, in honour of our virgin queen, had been suggested to Morley and his patron, the Earl of Nottingham, by Padre Giovenale, afterwards Bishop of Saluzzo, who employed thirty-seven of the most renowned Italian composers to set Canzonetti in honour of the Virgin Mary, published under the following title: Tempio Armonico della Beatissima Virgine nostra Signora, fabbricatole per opera del Reverendo P. Giovenale, A. P. della Congregatione dell' Oratorio. Prima Parte, a tre voci, Stampata in Roma da Nicola Mutii, 1599, in 4to."
That by Oriana is meant Queen Elizabeth, there can be but little doubt. The appellation surely does not countenance the supposition that there "must be some secret piece of history" in the case. Queen Elizabeth, we all know, was a woman of inordinate vanity. Even at the age of three score and ten she delighted in the names of Cynthia, Diana, and such like; and Oriana, who was the heroine of the well-known romance Amadis de Gaul, and a lovely and virtuous woman to boot, could not fail to gratify her. How D'Espes, the Spanish ambassador, could libel her under the double title of Amadis Oriana, it is difficult to imagine; but so it was, according to Camden (anno 1569). "Libellos famosos spargit, in quibus Reginæ existimationem contumeliosè atterit sub nomine Amadis Orianæ."
The pretty sounding tale related by Sir John Hawkins, that the work in question was undertaken with a view to alleviate the grief of the queen for the death of the Earl of Essex, and that prizes were given by the Earl of Nottingham for the best composition for that purpose, is entirely without foundation. Sir John Hawkins gives no authority for his statement, and I believe it rests entirely upon conjecture.
The Triumphs of Oriana (as we have seen) was printed at London in the year 1601. In the same year was published at Antwerp a collection of madrigals with the following title: Il Trionfo di Dori, descritto da diversa, et posti in Musica, da altretranti Autori a Sei Voci, In Anversa, Appresso Pietro Phalesio, 1601. From the date of these two collections, it appears almost impossible that either should have been an imitation of the other; and yet, by an extraordinary similarity in point of style, number, variety of composers, and burthen of the poetry, there can be but little doubt such was the case. The point will be therefore to ascertain if either of these works was printed previously to this date, 1601. I have no doubt that the Orianas is the first and only edition of the work. On the other hand, there is good reason (from a variety of circumstances) to suppose that the copy of Il Trionfo di Dori with this date will turn out to be the second edition.
The poetry (if such it can be called) of the Orianas is a paraphrase of Il Trionfo di Dori. The Italian burden or conclusion is always—
"Cantiam Ninfe e Pastori
Viva la bella Dori."
And the English version:
"Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
Long live faire Oriana."
Mr. Oliphant, in his collection of poetry entitled La Musa Madrigalesca, is perhaps not far wrong when he says that the rhymes of the Orianas would "disgrace the veriest tyro in Grub Street;" but, nevertheless, I have extracted a few specimens, premising that they are the best I could find among the "twenty-five":—
1.
"Hence! stars, too dim of light;
You dazle but the sight;
You teach to grope by night;
See here the shepherd's star,
Excelling you so far.
Then Phœbus wiped his eies,
And Zephirus cleer'd the skies.
In sweet accented cries,
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
Long live fair Oriana."
2.
"All creatures now are merry-minded,
The shepherds' daughters playing,
The nimphes are fa-la-la-ing;
At Oriana's presence each thing smileth,
The flowres themselves discover,
Birds over her do hover,
Musick the time beguileth.
See where she comes, with flow'ry garlands crowned;
Queene of all Queenes renowned:
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
Long live faire Oriana."
3.
"Thus Bonny-bootes the birthday celebrated
Of hir his Lady dearest;
Fair Oriana, which to his hart was neerest.
The nymphs and shepherds feasted
With clowted creame, and to sing were requested.
Loe! here the fair, created
(Quoth he) the world's chiefe goddesse.
Sing then, for she is Bonny-bootes' sweet mistres.
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
Long live faire Oriana."
4.
"Come blessed bird! and with thy sugred rellish,
Help our declining quire not to embellish;
For Bonny-bootes that so aloft would fetch it,
Oh! he is dead, and none of us can reach it!
Then tune to us, sweet bird, thy shrill recorder,
And I, Elpin and Dorus,
For fault of better, will serve in the chorus.
Begin; and we will follow thee in order.
Then sang the wood-born minstrel of Diana,
Long live faire Oriana."
Now a question arises, who was the Bonny-boots mentioned in the two last-quoted madrigals?
Sir John Hawkins has the following hypothesis:
"Bonny-boots seems to be a nick-name for some famous singer, who, because of his excellent voice, or for some other reason, had the permission to call the queen his lady. Possibly the person meant might be one Mr. Hale, of whom mention is made by Sir William Segar, in his account of a solemn tilt, or exercise of arms, held in the year 1590 before Queen Elizabeth, in the Tiltyard at Westminster, with emblematical representations and music, in which the above-mentioned Mr. Hale performed a part, by singing a song, &c. Sir William Segar also says of this person, that he was her majesty's servant, a gentleman in that art excellent, and for his voice both commendable and admirable."—Hist. of Music, vol. iii. p. 406.
Some gallant, high in favour with the Lady Oriana (Queen Elizabeth), is evidently alluded to in these madrigals; but I cannot agree with Sir John Hawkins, that a public singer like Mr. Hale would be permitted "to call the queen his lady." The idea is too absurd for a moment's consideration. Another conjecture is, that the individual designated Bonny-boots was the Earl of Essex; but I shall here quote two extracts from a curious and rare work published by Thomas Morley in 1597, and entitled "Canzonets, or Little Short Aers to Five and Six Voices: Printed by Peter Short," &c.:—
1.
"Fly love, that art so sprightly,
To Bonny-boots uprightly;
And when in Heav'n you meet him,
Say that I kindly greet him;
And that his Oriana,
True widow maid still followeth Diana."
2.
"Our Bonny-boots could toot it, yea and foot it;
Say lusty lads, who now shall bonny-boot it?
Who but the jolly shepherd, bonny Dorus?
He now must lead the Morris dance before us."
The conjecture that Bonny-boots was the Earl of Essex at once falls to the ground; for he was not beheaded till 1601, and the title-page of Morley's Canzonets bears date 1597.
That some conceit relative to the Lady Oriana existed long before the appearance of The Triumphs, is evident. Although the latter work was not published till the year 1601, yet in 1597 the idea had been acted upon by Nicholas Yonge in his Second Book of Musica Transalpina; for therein is the well-known madrigal by Giovanni Croce from Il Trionfo di Dori, adapted to the English words, "Hard by a crystal fountain," and ending with the burden, "Long live fair Oriana." Dr. Burney (Hist. of Music, vol. iii. p. 124.) says, that according to Hearne, a madrigal beginning with these words used annually to be sung by the fellows of the New College, Oxon, but he was unable to find it. Other madrigals in praise of Oriana may be found in Bateson's First Set of Madrigales, 1604; Pilkington's First Set of Madrigales, 1613; and in Vautor's First Set of Songes, 1619.
The publication of madrigals in praise of Queen Elizabeth, after her death, may be easily accounted for. They were (it is evident upon examination) originally composed with the others, but sent too late for insertion in the set; after which their respective composers had no opportunity of publishing them until the dates above given.
The conclusion then I arrive at is this, that Il Trionfo di Dori was printed in Italy (most probably at Rome) between the years 1588 and 1597; that N. Yonge procured a copy of it from thence (as may be inferred from his Preface), and from it published Croce's madrigal. This copy was most probably seen by Thomas Morley, and gave him the idea of his Triumphs of Oriana. Morley was at this time an especial favourite with the queen, who had recently rewarded him with "a faire gold chaine." An offering then like the Orianas could not fail of being acceptable to the vanity of Elizabeth, who, even at the age of sixty-eight, was extremely susceptible of flattery—especially when directed towards her person. It doubtless had the desired effect, and secured for Morley the patronage of the queen and the principal nobility. The publication of this work is thus easily explained without the intervention of any "secret piece of history."
EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.