The minstrels | Harke! how the minstrils gin to shrill aloud

Harke! how the minstrils gin to shrill...

Language: English

Harke! how the minstrils gin to shrill aloud
Their merry musick that resounds from far, 
The pipe, the tabor, and the trembling croud,
That well agree withouten breach or iar.
But most of all the damzels doe delite,
When they their tymbrels smyte,
And thereunto doe daunce and carrol sweet, 
That all the sences they doe ravish quite;
The whyles the boyes run up and downe the street,
Crying aloud with strong confused noyce,
As if it were one voyce,
"Hymen, Iö Hymen, Hymen," they do shout; 
That even to the heavens theyr shouting shrill
Doth reach, and all the firmament doth fill;
To which the people, standing all about,
As in approvance, doe thereto applaud,
And loud advaunce her laud; 
And evermore they "Hymen, Hymen," sing,
That all the woods them answer, and theyr eccho ring.

Available sung texts: ← What is this?

• R. Vaughan Williams

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with The Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser, Volume V, edited by Francis J. Child, London: Imprinted for William Ponsonbie, dwelling in Paules Churchyard at the Signe of the Bishops Head, 1591.

Note:
Croud/Crowd = violin

Text as set by Vaughan Williams:

Hark how the Minstrels ‘gin to shrill aloud,
Their merry music that resounds from far,
The pipe, the tabor, and the trembling Crowd,
That well agree withouten breach or jar.
But most of all the damsels do delight,
When they their timbrels smite,
And there unto do dance and carol sweet,
That all the senses they do ravish quite,
The whiles the boys run up and down the street,
Crying aloud with strong confusèd noise,
As if it were one voice. 
Hymen, Io Hymen, Hymen they do shout.

Text Authorship:

by Edmund Spenser (1552 - 1599), no title, appears in Amoretti and Epithalamion, in Epithalamion, no. 8 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "The minstrels", 1957, published 1957 [ baritone, mixed chorus, orchestra ], from cantata Epithalamion, no. 4, London, Oxford University Press [sung text checked 1 time]

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Gustav Ringel

This text was added to the website: 2020-01-11
Line count: 19
Word count: 137