by Aurelian Townshend (flourished 1601-1643)
On his hearing her Majesty sing
Language: English
I have beene in Heav'n, I thinke, For I heard an Angell sing, Notes my thirsty ears did drinke, Never any earthly thing sung So true, so sweet, so cleere, I was then in Heav'n, not heere. But the blessed feele no change, So I may mistake the place, But mine eyes would think it strange Should that be no Angels face; Powr's above, it seems, designe Me still Mortall, her Divine. Till I tread the Milky way, And I lose my sences quite, All I wish is that I may Hear that voice, and see that sight, Then in types and outward show, I shall have a heav'n below.
Confirmed with Aurelian Townshend's poems and masks, edited by E K Chambers, Oxford, 1912, Page 13.
Text Authorship:
- by Aurelian Townshend (flourished 1601-1643), "On his hearing her Majesty sing" [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 Henry Lawes (c1595 - 1662), "On his hearing her Majesty sing", published 1655 [ voice and continuo ], from The Second Book of Ayres, and Dialogues, no. 24, Confirmed with The Second Book of Ayres and Dialogues, for One, Two, and Three, by Henry Lawes, John Playford, London 1655, Page 21. [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2021-12-30
Line count: 18
Word count: 110