Lyr Req/Add: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)

Subject: Silent Worship (title)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 30 Jul 99 - 10:04 PM

An 18th century song, I think, beginning "Did you not see my lady go down the garden singing" or thereabouts. I have the melody in my mind, but can't seem to get hold of the words...

Subject: RE: Silent Worship
From: Llanfair
Date: 31 Jul 99 - 03:24 AM

I remember some of it, we used to sing it at school, I think. I can't do line breaks yet.

Did you not see my lady, go down the garden singing,
blackbirds and songbirds silent, to hear the alleys ringing.

Oh saw you not my lady, out in the garden there,
shaming the rose and lily with a glory of golden hair.

Though I am nothing to her, though she must rarely look at me,
though I may never woo her, I'll love her till I die.

I think the first verse is repeated. A fine example of the British class system. A lovely song, though. Hwyl, Bron.

Subject: RE: Silent Worship
From: Llanfair
Date: 31 Jul 99 - 05:52 PM

SILENT WORSHIP

Did you not see 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
With a glory of golden hair.

Though I am nothing to her
Though she must rarely look at me
And though I may never woo her
I love her 'till I die
Oh saw you not my lady
Out in the garden there
Shaming the rose and lily
With a glory of golden hair.

I was told that the song was sung by a gardener who could never aspire to forming a relationship with the mistress of the household. Mind you, Lady Chatterley came along afterwards and put paid to all that!!!!! Hwyl, Bron.

Subject: RE: Silent Worship
From: Murray on Saltspring
Date: 02 Aug 99 - 02:27 AM

No, it's not quite accurate. I can't remember it all, but it's something like this:

Silent Worship

Did you not see 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 but rarely looks at me
And though I could never woo her
I love her till I die.

Did you not see my lady
Go down the garden singing,
Silencing all the songbirds,
And setting the alleys ringing;
Oh surely you see my lady
Out in the garden there
Riv'ling the glitt'ring sunshine
With a glory of golden hair.

--This may prompt someone else's memory.

Subject: RE: Silent Worship
From: GUEST,emma
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 07:20 PM

I love this song! I have been trying to find it for months in sheet music but I can't! The version I'm familiar with goes like this:

Oh surely you've seen my lady,
Go down the garden singing,
Silencing all the petals,
And setting the valleys ringing.

Oh surely you've seen my lady,
Out in the garden there,
Silencing all the meadows,
For she is twice as fair.

That's all I know...
Thanks for your additional lyrics!

Subject: Lyr Add: SILENT WORSHIP (Somervell, Handel)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 07:40 PM

This page has more about this. It's a translation of an aria in Italian from an opera by Handel - or rather it's a completely new song which was written to be sung to the same tune.

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.

And here is the Italian original, with a literal translation, from that site I linked to:

Non lo diro col labbro
Che tanto ardir non ha;
Forse con le faville
Dell'avide pupille,
Per dir come tutt'ardo,
Lo sguardo parlera

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.

Subject: RE: Silent Worship
From: GUEST,The Wandering Minstrel
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 07:58 AM

In my minds ear I can hear Bryn Terfel singing this, which may mean that he has made a recording of it...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 03:16 PM

i thought it was

saw you not my lady
out in the garden there...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: Little Robyn
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 03:52 PM

We sang it at school in 1959 but I can't find my song sheets from back then. Murray has it the way I remember it.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: ard mhacha
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 04:39 PM

Kenneth McKellar the Scottish Tenor regarded this song as one of his favourites, a lovely song with McKellar in fine voice in my LP.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: ard mhacha
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 04:56 PM

Silent Worship also on CD 5 of Your hundred best tune, sung by Kenneth McKellar.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 05:01 PM

The very first thread I ever started, woken from the dead after all these years by somebody for no apparent reason. Par for the course here, I guess. Once one knows the name of the composer, it's easy to find the music in any good public library. I subsequently picked up a McKellar recording, too (though some of the material was less choice).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: ard mhacha
Date: 17 Feb 08 - 06:15 AM

Would one of the "less choice" have been ,Song of the Clyde, he did sing some awful dirges, but then again who didn`t.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: masato sakurai
Date: 17 Feb 08 - 06:31 AM

Silent Worship - song from movie Emma 1996, and Did You Not Hear My Lady, sung by Aled Jones, at YouTube.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 17 Feb 08 - 06:16 PM

I agree pretty much with Murray's version - my school was built on the site of the palace of Chandos, where Handel stayed (and played organ in the local church of St Lawrence), so we got to sing a lot of Handel compositions for school Founder's Days. Especially Silent Worship, and Where e'er you walk.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: GUEST,LW
Date: 12 Mar 08 - 03:37 PM

I have just listened to the McKellar recording some 30 minutes ago on Classic FM's smooth classics. Absolutely exquisite.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Mar 08 - 05:16 PM

Darn, I was thinking the Robert Graves poem was called Silent Worship, but no, it's called Love Without Hope.

Here it is, anyway:

Love without hope, as when the young bird-catcher
Swept off his tall hat to the Squire's own daughter,
So let the imprisoned larks escape and fly
Singing about her head, as she rode by.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: Flash Company
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 11:12 AM

Ian Wallace, IMO a sweeter Scots voice than Kenneth McKeller, used to sing this. Also heard a TV actor called Gerry Ryder sing it at The Malt Shovels in Altrincham, Cheshire. Very resonant voice of the kind that shatters beer glasses at ten paces.

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Silent Worship
From: An Buachaill Caol Dubh
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 12:16 PM

I always found Ian Wallace's vocal production lacking in "legato"; not quite "stacatto", but with every note clearly separated from another rather than the "continuous thread of sound" approach. There's a recording of the song in question dating from the 1930s by some English tenor known only as "Murgatroyd" (surname...), with a very light and elegant voice. Anyone know anything more?

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship
From: GUEST,Joe Bangle
Date: 27 Aug 08 - 01:05 PM

Thanks for all this information about this beautiful song. I must say that Kenneth McKellar does it for me.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship
From: Mo the caller
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 12:37 PM

And a week ago we were dancing a recently composed dance to this tune (Barbara Kinsman calling).

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship
From: GUEST,The Shikken
Date: 31 Aug 08 - 01:49 PM

We used to sing this at school, round about the late 60s. Now I substitute "My Lindsay" for "My Lady" for my beautiful daughter and her glory of auburn hair.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship
From: GUEST,Elise of Kingaroy
Date: 03 Nov 08 - 03:27 AM

We're singing this song in school chior at the moment, im in year 11. it's such a pretty song, sounds awesome when its sung properly :)

the right lyrics are as McGrath of Harlow put them

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.

YAY for old music!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 03 Nov 08 - 04:10 AM

Clearly a different version (or my memory is going), I remember the first lines as;
Did you not hear my lady go down the garden singing.
Silencing all the songbirds & setting the alley ringing.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship
From: GUEST,Mark Williams
Date: 09 Apr 09 - 01:37 PM

There is a young new Scottish singer, a fellow named Nicky Spence who alos sings a rendition of Silent Worship on his album First Love. I found the digital download full album for $3.00 online.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship
From: Peter the Squeezer
Date: 09 Apr 09 - 02:53 PM

The opera by Handel is "Ptolemy". I have an old 78 RPM record of it, sung by Heddle Nash.

Peter

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship
From: Snuffy
Date: 10 Apr 09 - 08:43 AM

Malcolm's very first thread - and probably the only one where he asks for a song rather than providing the information for someone else.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,amy
Date: 12 Jun 09 - 07:04 AM

does anyone have the sheet music for this song??????

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Jun 09 - 10:00 AM

Do you have access to MIDI software, Amy? If so, you can download the song from

http://www.erasofelegance.com/arts/music/phonograph2.html

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Jun 09 - 10:30 AM

Masato, thank you for the links. I love the beautiful singing on the second one. Haven't listened to the first yet.

Elise, it's nice to hear how you are enjoying the song. Thanks for posting.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 12 Jun 09 - 02:12 PM

It's a fine song, and I'm glad to learn about it.

But are you sure it's 'the alleys' and not 'the allee'?

an allee

I don't know how old the lyrics are, but not too long ago, 'me' and 'die' in the second verse would have rhymed. Perhaps some folk processing is called for to restore a rhyme.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,Steve Hunt
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 09:06 AM

This song is based on a tune by Handel from the opera Tolemao, where it was originally known as something like "I will not speak it with my lips". In 1928 Somervell set the words that most people know to it - those that are widely quoted above - and made it into a very popular item that has been widely recorded. So the tune and words sre not contemporary, and the words are relatively modern.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 10 Apr 10 - 07:00 AM

The Kenneth McKellar thread re-sparked my interest in this beautiful song. There's a free PDF download of the sheet music, courtesy of the good old National Library of Australia (link below) though please note that if you use it, your best bet is to go as far as Page 3, and after "till I die" (the final line of the middle verse) go back to Page 1 and fit the final verse lyrics to that melody line. This is because it's been arranged for soprano/alto duet and later on in the score they screw up (ooooops I mean Improve) the music a bit. For the "pure" version, follow the soprano line until halfway through Page 3, then go back for the repeat.

You can hear Aled Jones' beautiful singing of it on YouTube (superimposed over clips from the TV Robin Hood series) and follow the melody line along on the sheet music while you listen (unless you fancy Guy of Gisborne in black leather). In the final cadence ("glory of golden hair") Aled sings:

B       CB    AG      F# G      G
Glo    ry      of      golden   hair

(written in the key of G to match the sheet music version)

If you have Sibelius software and are registered with them, you can also download a copy of the orchestral score to this aria from their Scorch pages. Many of these items cost a nominal amount, but "Silent Worship" (instrumental only) is free. Melody is in the flutes or violins - it jumps around.

ALED JONES PERFORMANCE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmOh_cz8hUY

NLA SHEET MUSIC:

http://nla.gov.au/nla.mus-vn925523

SIBLIUS SCORE (I think you have to own a registered copy of their software to access this):

http://www.sibeliusmusic.com/index.php?sm=home.score&scoreID=90905

You'll also need to download their Scorch programme, but it's free and very quick & easy do do.


On a very different tack, Barry Dransfield also sings this on his latest album Unruly. Listen to clip here (on the Recordings & Sales link):

http://www.barrydransfield.com/pages/sales.htm

Anybody know where I could hear McKellar's version of this song?

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 11 Apr 10 - 09:40 AM

ref

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 11 Apr 10 - 10:08 AM

"Tolomeo, re d'Egitto (Ptolemy, King of Egypt; HWV 25) is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's Tolomeo et Alessandro." Wikipedia

Could anyone supply the original words, + translation, of this aria as sung in Handel's opera? It does not appear in thread above so far as I can see.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 11 Apr 10 - 10:19 AM

There's this, from the internet, which is mentioned above but here it is again:

Aria: 'Non lo dirò col labbro'

Non lo dirò col labbro
Che tanto ardir non ha
Forse con le faville
Dell'avide pupille
Per dir come tutt'ardo
Lo sguardo parlera

Translation:
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

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 11 Apr 10 - 01:56 PM

Many thanks, Bonnie: much appreciated.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 11 Apr 10 - 03:31 PM

Glad to help. You know, I'll bet Crazy Little Woman is right, and it should be "allee" and not "alley(s)". Her link shows an avenue of trees, and my computer dictionary says:

allée |äˈlā| noun
an alley in a formal garden or park, bordered by trees or bushes.
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: French.

The urban imagery of "alley" always reminded me of gritty cop dramas and hardboiled detectives pursuing their quarry on dark nights - not at all in keeping with a garden!

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 11 Apr 10 - 03:45 PM

Apropos of nothing in particular, you can free-download a PDF of the booklet to the Aled Jones CD which contains this song (it contains colour photos so takes a minute to load):

http://www.buywell.com/booklets/0644792.pdf

I wuz flying around the googleverse looking for an Allee among the Alleys, and found this instead. (Well, it beats working...) It would be interesting to check the first printed source of Somervell's words. The internet doesn't so much hide a multitude of sins as multiply them exponentially. Anything in C# libe?

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 24 Jul 10 - 06:16 PM

Resurrecting this thread (and also the Kenneth McKellar obit one) because I finally found K McK's version of this song on You Tube, which may be a new(ish) upload because it wasn't there last time I searched. I love both this and Aled Jones' interpretations (Aled links above, in my post and Masato Sakurai's). Anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8O_mweSH9U

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Jul 10 - 08:32 PM

The five verses by Arthur Somervell, Silent Worship to the aria from Tolomeo by Handel are posted above by McGrath of Harlow, 03 Mar 04.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Anne Neilson
Date: 25 Jul 10 - 05:42 AM

Thank you so much for the Kenneth McKellar version of this lovely song - what seemingly effortless grace, and what talent to make it all sound so natural.
Lovely memories of sitting with the family when I was wee and listening to Kenneth McK. on the wireless (as it was then!).

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,Jane
Date: 29 Aug 10 - 12:11 PM

Does anyone out there know if and from which site you can print off sheet music for this song?

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 Aug 10 - 05:09 PM

See the "NLA sheet music" link at the bottom of my 10th April message above - but also be sure to read the rest of that post because the second half of the score could be a bit confusing otherwise. That link takes you to the National Library of Australia web page, and if you click the "Print" tab it will give you a PDF you can print/download from. I did this myself and it worked fine. Glad to see there's so much interest in this lovely song -

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Aug 10 - 08:39 PM

Thank you so much.

I have now printed the music. You have no idea how difficult it is to find out how to do this (perhaps you do though).

It is a magnificent piece of music because it is simple, plaintive and yearning - just as the words would have it be.

Thank you Bonnie

PS this is the first time that I have ever used a website to 'talk to' - a bit nerve wracking, as it is out of my world, but I am amazed and grateful that I had such a quick response from you.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: leeneia2
Date: 29 Aug 10 - 09:08 PM

This melody turns out lovely on my fretted dulcimer.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,Jane
Date: 30 Aug 10 - 07:14 AM

I absolutley love the dulcimer (plucked?)and would love to own one. I have been lent an autoharp which is similarly 'echoey' but not as nice. Where does one get to try playing a dulcimer?

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 30 Aug 10 - 08:05 AM

You might like to take a look at this dulcimer website - the lady who runs it can be contacted by email if you click on the "Email Webmaster" tab, just above where it says "NEWS!!" on the white background. (Leeneia - she also runs the big harp chat group at Yahoo, tho you may know this already.)

http://www.dulcimers.com/

There's also a nice general website for zither-y type instruments here, though they're unfretted:

http://www.fretlesszithers.com/
Click the link in the grey sidebar on the left which says "Sound Clips" if you'd like to hear any of them being played. After the new page loads, just scroll down it and click on the individual tune titles, and - if you have a player installed - you should be able to listen to them.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 30 Aug 10 - 08:10 AM

Woooops, sorry - just seen that those are HAMMERED dulcimers. Still, you could email Sharon (the webmaster) anyway - she's very net-savvy and has been around a long time, so she's bound to be able to give you some sort of useful input to your questions.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,Jane
Date: 30 Aug 10 - 08:38 AM

That's OK, I think that I meant hammered dulcimer anyway. Unfortunatly I live in Oxford, UK so I don't really have a clue as to where to find teachers of this instrument or the instrument itself. Maybe Sharon would know.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 30 Aug 10 - 09:02 AM

Sharon is based in the midwest (I think) in the USA so she may not know anything about Oxford. But it's a great subject for a new Mudcat thread* (you also might get to know a few fellow enthusiasts that way). Unfortunately Guests aren't allowed to start threads (I think: can't remember if this applies to music threads or not) so you can either join this website (a good idea anyway cos it's a great place) or, if you're feeling a bit shy, I can start one for you, and ask for some pointers & info. Let me know if you want me to do this -

Make sure you DO mean hammered dulcimer (where you have a light little mallet in each hand and hit the strings with them) and not a plucked dulcimer (the ones I'm thinking of look like an elongated figure-8 and usually have three or four strings, the Appalachian dulcimer). I'm a harp player so am a bit out of my depth talking about dulcimers, but there are plenty of folks on here who know a lot about them, and Mudcatters tend to be very generous with their knowledge. Best of luck -


*A "thread" refers to the column of messages which appear under a given subject heading. Each title on the Mudcat home page is a thread.

Subject: Cute Pictures
From: GUEST,Belle Norris
Date: 06 Apr 11 - 12:23 AM

Check out this awesome site. Its got the latest news and coolest things ever!

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Silent Worship (Somervell, Handel)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 07 Apr 11 - 12:11 AM

Hi, Jane.

I did a little searching. Here's where I'd start:

Hobgoblin Music Folk and Acoustic specialists.

Huge range of second hand and new acoustic, world and folk instruments. See website for second hand listings and new instruments or visit one of the shops for friendly service and free advice.
Birmingham, Bristol, Crawley, Leeds, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Wadebridge. See website for addresses & contact details.