The song "Silent Worship" is a 1928 English-language adaptation for voice and piano by

Arthur Somervell Sir Arthur Somervell (5 June 18632 May 1937) was an English composer and educationalist. After Hubert Parry, he was one of the most successful and influential writers of art song in the English music renaissance of the 1890s–1900s. According t ...

of Alessandro's

aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

"Non lo dirò col labbro" from

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

's 1728 opera '' Tolomeo'' (''Ptolemy''). It is the ninth song in Somervell's collection ''Ten Songs'' of Handel (8) and

Giovanni Bononcini Giovanni Bononcini (or Buononcini) (18 July 1670 – 9 July 1747) (sometimes cited also as Giovanni Battista Bononcini) was an Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer and teacher, one of a family of string players and composers. He was a rival ...

(2). Other arrangements of Somervell's translation include voice accompanied by a symphony orchestra, and unison choir.

Handel / Somervell comparison

Musically

's song is a simple

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

of the original Handel aria – with the orchestral parts reduced for piano, one or two slight changes in harmony, and the instrumental ending (postlude) omitted. The text is treated quite differently in the two versions: * In the original Italian

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

aria as set by Handel, the first part of the aria uses a single

couplet In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...

to express a single two-fold thought: "I will not say it with my lips, they do not have the courage". The words are repeated several times, to emphasize the lack of courage. The second part of the aria expresses a complement to the first, its antithesis – twice as many words for half as much music – and therefore not repeated: "Perhaps, with sparks from yearning eyes, my gaze will speak to reveal how I am consumed by flames". The first part of the aria is then repeated, in A–B–A ''

da capo aria The da capo aria () is a musical form for arias that was prevalent in the Baroque era. It is sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, often a small orchestra. The da capo aria is very common in the musical genres of opera and orato ...

'' form. * Somervell's unrelated English text consists of a 16-line narrative, in which only a single line is repeated. Even the ''

da capo Da capo ( , , ; often abbreviated as D.C.) is an Italian musical term that means "from the beginning" (literally, "from the head"). The term is a directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is an easie ...

'' – the

reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any re ...

of the first part at the end – has a new

paraphrase A paraphrase () or rephrase is the rendering of the same text in different words without losing the meaning of the text itself. More often than not, a paraphrased text can convey its meaning better than the original words. In other words, it is a ...

of the first text rather than the simple verbatim repetition which the baroque aria uses.

Popular culture

"Silent Worship" is featured in the 1996 film adaptation of

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

's novel '' Emma'', where it is sung by

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...

(as Emma) and

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...

(as Frank Churchill). Somervell's English adaptation was done more than a century after Austen's 1815 novel, but the original Italian aria was recorded in Jane Austen's own handwritten songbooks.''Jane's Hand: The Jane Austen Songbooks''
(CD and MP3) In the film, Somervell's piano introduction to the song is shortened.

"Silent Worship"

Did you not hear my lady Go down the garden singing? Blackbird and thrush were silent To hear the alleys ringing. Oh saw you not my lady Out in the garden there? Shaming the rose and lily For she is twice as fair. Though I am nothing to her Though she must rarely look at me And though I could never woo her I love her till I die. Surely you heard my lady Go down the garden singing? Silencing all the songbirds And setting the alleys ringing. But surely you see my lady Out in the garden there, Rivaling the glittering sunshine With a glory of golden hair.

"Non lo dirò col labbro"

Allessandro's

cavatina (Italian for "little song") is a musical term, originally meaning a short song of simple character, without a second strain or any repetition of the air. It is now frequently applied to any simple, melodious air, as distinguished from brilliant ...

in act 1 of ''Tolomeo'': Non lo dirò col labbro Che tanto ardir non hà. Forse con le faville Dell'avide pupille, Per dir come tutt'ardo, Lo sguardo parlerà. I will not say it with my lips Which have not that courage. Perhaps the sparks Of my burning eyes, Revealing my passion, My glance will speak.

Score comparison

% Source: "Silent Worship" in Arthur Somervell: Ten Songs, (1928), pp. 34–37 – via IMSLP \header \paper \layout global = tenorVoice = \relative c' verse = \lyricmode verseI = \lyricmode rightOne = \relative c'' rightTwo = \relative c'' left = \relative c' tenorVoicePart = \new Staff \with %"synth voice"} \tenorVoice \addlyrics \addlyrics pianoPart = \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "right" \with << \rightOne \\ \rightTwo >> \new Staff = "left" \with >> \score

% Source: Georg Friedich Händels Werke, vol 75, 1878, plate H.W. 76, pp. 11–12 (via IMSLP) % omitting 5-bar instrumental pre- and postludes. \header \paper \layout global = violin = \relative c'' viola = \relative c' tenorVoice = \relative c'' verse = \lyricmode contrabass = \relative c violinPart = \new Staff \with \violin violaPart = \new Staff \with tenorVoicePart = \new Staff \with %"synth voice"} \addlyrics contrabassPart = \new Staff \with \score \score

References

External links

* *, Kenneth McKellar (

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House,

Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was a British conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London ...

(conductor) *,

Thomas Allen Thomas Allen may refer to: Clergy *Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England *Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732) *Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England * ...

(

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

) *,

Romina Basso Romina Basso (born in Gorizia) is an Italian mezzo-soprano with an extensive discography of baroque opera recordings. She is particularly noted for her performances of Vivaldi.''Le Figaro''"Rinaldo Alessandrini et son Concerto Italiano" "C'est cet ...

(mezzo-soprano), Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis (conductor) *, David Walker

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...

{{Authority control Compositions by Arthur Somervell 1928 songs English songs Art songs Arias by George Frideric Handel