The Song 'Now is the Month of Maying' by Thomas Morley Paper Example

Introduction

The song 'Now is the Month of Maying' was produced by Thomas Morley in 1595. A look at the lyrics of the song reveals repetition of the syllable fa la lalalala (Morley, 1595, line 3). The rhythm to the song is musical facilitating the ability of the singers to dance to it. The performance of the song is in steady pause. Still, the backing track has three clicks and a chord that helps the performers to just start at the right place. The lines in the song such as 'each with his bonny lass' seem dirty. The overall mood of the song is a jovial one since the critical message is about celebrating the end of winter and the onset of spring. The setting of the song is outdoor merrymaking.

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The most exciting aspect involves the repetition of the syllable 'fa la lala.' The words are repeated after every two lines, and it is difficult to go without noticing the same. Since the song is written in a dirty tone, I expect that the words, fa la have a hidden and a dirty meaning. The lines with the phrase fa la account to almost half of the song, and I can only expect that they are communicating a key message in the piece.

Historical Period of the Work

The date of the publication of the song reveals that it dates back to the renaissance era. The English Renaissance period began in 1450, and it ended in 1600. It was a time of great optimism, humanism, and reform. There was a renewed interest in arts and since such that historian views it as a period of intellectual and cultural movement. The period was characterized by great creativity, curiosity, and imagination leading to great literary pieces. Unlike earlier literature, writing during the Renaissance focused on humanism including human characteristics and behaviors (Palisca, 1985). The invention of printing during the era enabled the ideas of the scholars to become accessible to the members of the public and the elements of the renaissance era formed a foundation for the development of the modern culture. There was an introduction of new musical instruments including harpsichord and violin and the artists had the tended to produce songs with an emotional effect.

Insights from Artist's Biography

Morley is described in his biography as a significant figure of the golden period during the reign of Elizabeth 1 when his teacher William Byrd was the most influential composer of his time. Bryd was famous due to the incorporation of his learned style in music (University of Reading, 2007). Importantly, Bryd forged the English version of the complex Renaissance musical language that reflected insularity typical in his day. It is apparent from his biography that Morley worked at the St. Paul Cathedral but just like his teacher who deployed limited interest in the ideas and cultures of other people, Morley religious inclinations did not prevent him from advancing a career in secular music and humanism. In fact, it was expected of a person who lack interest in culture to sing about outdoor sexual activities as Morley wanted to communicate in the phrase 'barley break which is applied idiomatically and which in actual sense implies a roll in the hay (Morley, 1595, line 12). Also since Morley did not care about other people opinions, it was possible for him to include dirty words such as 'lass' in his song.

It is evident in the biography that Morley songs were in two styles, the English madrigal style and the Italian madrigal style which has features of gentle harmonic warmth, clarity of texture, springy rhythms, and direct effectiveness. The piece in the Month of Maying is prepared in the English madrigal style.

A look at Morley biography reveals that he had produced another song about the spring season. The two famous of tracks being 'Sing we and Chant it, April is in My MistrisFace, and the Now is the Maying of Maying (University of Reading, 2007). Morley occupation with celebrating the spring season makes one more concerned about the implication of the period. Among the Jews, the spring season was referred to as a period of rebirth, and such beliefs would have made Morley concentrate in singing a song about sexual advances. Still, it is apparent that Morley had the habit of using the syllable fa-la-la since it is also apparent in his song 'Sing we Enchanted.'

During the time of his music career, Morley believed in practical musicianship where he sought to replace functional music of his time with speculative and theoretical traditions. Morley drew insights from the composition known as canon. In the cannon different parts would be referring to the same concept one after the other either at a different or at the same pitch (University of Reading, 2007). The song 'Now is the Month of Maying' was composed in the form of a canon since the performance would sing about the same lines simultaneously but at different pitches.

Stylistic Characteristic from Its Period

Morley adopted different stylistic devices that were apparent in the renaissance period. The rhythm during the renaissance period was gentler rather than a sharply defined beat. Still, rhythmic independence was such that when one singer would be at the beginning of the song while the others would be at the middle thus singing renaissance music is a challenge since an individual must maintain their rhythm. The madrigal proved as the most significant genre, and the Renaissance poets used the type in advancing their interests in humanism (Bonds, 2013). The renaissance madrigal included several voices and a combination of polyphonic and homophonic textures. Similarly, Polyphony, the style consisting of simultaneous syllables of independent melody is apparent in the Song 'Now is the Month of Maying since every performer is expected to maintain his or her pitch. For instance, while singing the chorus fa la lala, the performers work on different parts of the syllable with the ones who seem to be behind others acting like they are imitating their colleagues.

During the Renaissance period, there was a close relationship between words in a piece of music such as words expressing emotions of sadness such as sighs, heart, and tears would be found in the same song. In the same manner, the 'Song in the Month of Maying' has several words and phrases revealing emotions of happiness such as merry, playing and clad all in gladness (Bonds, 2013). Again, during the Renaissance, the artist produced songs which were sung in a restrained, but a calm manner and emotions were expressed in a song in a moderate and a balanced way. Just the same manner, the piece 'Now is the Month of May' is sung in a steady pulse.

Repetition of the words fa-la-la was a standard style in the English ballets which were common during the renaissance era. In the same way, the dancelike song, 'Now in the Month of Maying' had several solo voices which were mostly of homophonic texture, and the melody was sung in the highest voice (Bonds, 2013). The same composition was repeated in each stanza of the poem and the syllables Fa-la were used to refrain just like in the song 'In the Month of Maying.

During the renaissance period, individuals delighted in the Images of outdoor lovemaking more than in the middle ages. The song is about dancing, but dancing was often a metaphor for loving making and the name 'barely break' is similar to roll in the hay. Outright punning about sexual allusions was a common feature in madrigals.

The relevance of the Song Today

The song is used today to celebrate the first day in May. Maying celebrations are accompanied with Dancing and gathering of flowers and individuals find the song relatable to their celebratory mood due to the lyrics in the song including 'Laugh at winter's sadness' (Morley, 1595, line 9). The song forms a key piece song during May morning celebrations when the Magdalen College choir sings the song from the Great Tower at the institution. Morley's song is among the most significant pieces throughout history, and the composition is inspiring to the future artist to work on sophistication in music.

Impact of the Deeper Knowledge in Changing thoughts and Feelings about the Work

In the beginning, I would not understand why the author had to include too many repetitions in work but, a deeper understanding of the song has made me appreciate the piece as absolutely excellent since I have gained knowledge about the choice of words and the style of writing. Importantly, I have understood that the song 'In the Month of Maying' is an English Madrigal. There are several pieces in the song that can help associate the piece with the late Renaissance period. Morley utilizes more choral and homophonic texture in his composition rather than imitation which was apparent in the early days of the renaissance era. The fa la refrain was common among the English ballets, and it was common too for Morley since it is also evident in the Song 'Sing We Enchanted' by the same author (Bonds, 2013). Still, the text pastoral ideals and mythology are consistent with the past standard beliefs that seemed to praise the prosperity of Queen Elizabeth.

References

Morley, T. (1595). Now is the Month of Maying. On All at Once Well Met: English Madrigals. The King Singers. Westminster, London.

Bonds, M. E. (2013).A History of in Western Culture.Department of Music, University of North Carolina. Carolina, United States of America

Palisca, C. V. (1985). Humanism in Italian Renaissance musical thought (p. 408). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

The University of Reading.(2005). Thomas Morley, A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practical Musicke, 1597.The University of Reading.Westminister, London.