WILLIAM LAWES: Gather ye rosebuds (To the Virgins, to make much of Time) PDF SCORE

Details

Description

Buy the PDF score here:
https://www.earlymusicscores.com/shop/p/william-lawes-gather-your-rosebuds-to-the-virgins-to-make-much-of-time

Composed by William Lawes (1602-1645). From British Library, Add. MS. 31432, ff.33v-34r. Poem by Robert Herrick (c.1591-1674).

John Potter, tenor
Tragicomedia

William Lawes (1602-1645) was the younger brother of Henry Lawes, both of whom served as musicians for Charles I. While Henry lived through the Civil War and continued to work briefly for Charles II after the Restoration, William met a different fate, being killed in action on the Royalist side during the Siege of Chester in September 1645.

As a composer, William demonstrated greater versatility, gaining recognition particularly for his remarkable consort music. In addition to his instrumental works, he was highly esteemed as a vocal composer during his lifetime. In the 1630s, he was commissioned to write songs for the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre, as well as music for court masques.

Robert Herrick praised Lawes in verse, and his setting of Herrick's poem "Gather ye rosebuds" remains one of his most famous pieces, notable for its tuneful style. However, Lawes was more often known for his declamatory songs, such as his setting of Herrick's "I'm sick of love," where the rhythm and melodic structure closely reflect the natural flow and rhetoric of the poetry.

Reference:
Spink, I. (2003). William Lawes Vocal Works [Review of Collected Vocal Music, by W. Lawes & G. J. Callon]. Early Music, 31(2), 293–296. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3138083