Elisha and the Two Bears

Transcription

1 Elisha and the Two Bears for treble solo, treble chorus, tenor, two basses, and continuo attr. to Henry Purcell ( ) And he (Elisha) went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. Second Kings 2: 2325 This dramatic work, described by the composer as a Paraphrase, is thought to be a companion piece to Henry Purcell s miniature cantata In Guilty Night (Saul and the Witch of Endor). Although Purcell s name never appears on the uscript, its discovery, stuck to the bottom of a chamber pot in Henry Purcell s house in Dean s Yard, stminster, and inadvertently found by eminent musicologist Lord Horatio Wiggles Biggerstaff when the main loo was occupied, had led to great specution as to the origins of the work. Was it indeed composed as a companion piece, or might it have been intended for other ends? Elisha seems to predate In Guilty Night (1693), but only by a few months. Although there is no actual recorded instance of a perforce in Purcell s lifetime, or indeed, in the st 300 years, the discovery of the work (thankfully, in its entirety) confirms its existence, long specuted about by Purcell schors, since its mention in a letter dated 2nd January, 1694, from H.P. to his friend Rev. John Gosling, the extraordinary basso. You will find the duetto a particurly fine piece of writing, Purcell writes. I can hardly bear it. Ha ha. For centuries, Purcell s bad pun had been obscured by the fact that the Duet per due orsi had yet to be unrolled. Now its meaning becomes clear. Stylistically, the piece is entirely Purcell. From the opening trio to the final strains, Purcell speaks to us from beyond the chamber pot, as it were. The ment of the sin children With broken limbs and faces faire, is Purcell at his best, and the final Mourne all ye muses, once heard, will be remembered until the st beer of the evening is quaffed. Our thanks to the y schors who have worked tirelessly on this score to render a modern performing edition, including Dr Richard Shephard Dr Robert Wyke Dr Mark Schweizer St. James Music Press, 2009

2 Elisha (T. Solo) Bass 1 (Solo) Bass 2 (Solo) Keyboard 4 God, the Larghetto q = 60 Elisha and the Two Bears E li sha proph et, Prologue of God, Attribued (loosely) to Henry Purcell E li sha proph et, E of God li sha proph et, ( ) of Fert ile hills of Ju dah of Ju dah trod, God's judge ment of God, 7 The Fert the Fert ile hills ile hills of the hills of Ju Ju dah trod, dah trod, to these hills judge ment to thesehills God'sjudge did did tell, ment did tell, tell, until vile youths until vile youths up up on on him until vile youths up him God's fell. fell. on him fell.

3 Allegro q = 138 The Taunting Song Treble Choir (Youths) Go Go up, up, thou thou Bald head Bald head, 21 yea go up. Take thy tle, take thy grant us ease. Prat ing proph et take thy 26 cup. ease. And These to stones the we birds throw to proph fire es y. thy shame. And 31 find send your thee preach back ing to ve whence ry thou dry. came. 2

4 35 Elisha's Revenge O wretch ed youth. I shall hie to yon der cave, Recit. q = In tempo q = 132 sine breth ren lie. wheresleeping Ur 43 Recit. q = 84 A wake, a A wake wake, shakeoff dullsleep. from slum ber dark and 47 In tempo deep. 52 Ye dread ful bears, to me drawnigh, and hear a Proph et's aw ful cry viper ousyouths, their mock ing scorn shall come to naught this curs ed morn. 3 These

5 57 Con moto q = Awake, Awake! (duet per due orsi) Awake, a wake! Awake, a wake! Makerea dy your bit ter Makerea dy your bit ter 63 tomb, tomb, make rea dy yourbit ter tomb: make rea dy yourbit ter tomb: The Proph The Proph et et has sealed has sealed your your 66 doom, the doom, Proph theproph et has sealed et has sealed your your doom. doom. Awake, a wake! Awake, a 4

6 69 1. wake! A Awake, awake! A wake! Awake, a wake! wake! Awake, a wake! Make rea dy your bit Make rea dy your bit ter ter wake With teeth andcws With teeth andcws and foe tid and foe tid breath 75 breath consign you un to death Con consign you un to death 5

7 78 sign, sign, con con sign you sign you 81 un un to death. to death. With teeth With teeth and cws and cws and foe and foe tid breath, tid breath, 84 con sign you con sign you un un to death. to death. 6 con sign you un to con sign you un death. to death.

8 88 Awake, a wake! Awake, A wake! Makerea dy your bit ter tomb, Makerea dy your bit ter tomb, make rea dy yourbit ter make rea dy yourbit ter 91 tomb, tomb, theproph theproph et et has sealed has sealed your doom, your doom, theproph theproph et et 94 has has sealed sealed your doom. your doom. 7 rit.

9 98 Con moto q = 126 The Munching Dance al Saraband

10 138 Andante q = 116 The Farewell Song 145 Solo Vs. 1 All Vs. 2 Farewell With broken Mo limbs ther, weep and fac not es for me, faire, For Now bles sup sed per Pa for ra the 152 dise an I cient see. bear, To taunt moan E the li sha wrong curse that sealed were our we, fate, And The 158 death mock our ing pun of ish ment must his bald ing be. pate. Fare well With bro ken Mo ther, limbs and 164 weep fac not for es me, faire, For Now bles sup sed per Pa for 9 ra dise I the an cient see. bear.

11 170 Largo q = 50 Mourn, All Ye Muses (Epilogue and Moral) All Mourn, all Mourn, all ye muses, makesad ment, makesad ment, make Mourn, all ye muses, makesad ment, makesad ment, makesad ment. ye 173 mus sad es, make sad ment, make sad ment, mourn all ye mus es, make sad ment, sad ment, sad Mourn, all ye 10

12 175 ment, ment, make sad ment. ment, ment, make sad ment. Mourn, all ye mus es, makesad ment, ment. mus es, makesad ment, make sad ment. 177 Theseyouth ful lives Theseyouth ful lives were were fool fool ishspent. ishspent. God s ho ly prophet Theseyouth ful lives Theseyouth ful lives were were fool ish spent. fool God s ho ly ish spent. 11 God's

13 180 pro must nev er scorn, God's ho ly prophet never scorn, prophet mustnev phet nev er scorn, er scorn, Or elsesuch Ur sine fate, orelsesuch sine Or elsesuch Ur fate,orelsesuch Or elsesuch Ur sine fate,orelsesuch Or elsesuch Ur sine fate, such 184 poco rit. Ur sine fate Ur sine fate Ur must must be be by by kind borne,must be by kind, by kind borne. kind borne. Ur sine fate sine fate must must be be poco rit. by by 12 kind borne, kind borne, by by kind borne. kind borne.