John Travers: Eighteen Canzonets For Two And Three Voices

by Emanuel Rubin (Editor)

John Travers's Eighteen Canzonets for Two and Three Voices (1764) is a delightful collection of part-songs with continuo for social singing. This charming music made a key contribution to the growth of social singing that culminated in the latter half of the eighteenth century with the English glee. The pieces are for the most part settings of poems by England's outstanding epigrammatist, Matthew Prior, whose wit has rarely been equaled, and probably never excelled. Craftily contrapuntal and chordal by turns, Travers's settings capture the clever epigrams with music that sticks in the memory and challenges the voices without overwhelming them. These songs were popular enough to be reprinted several times during the eighteenth century, but the change of style at the end of that period relegated them to the libraries of antiquarians. Today they appear, after some 250 years of lying fallow, for the first time in a modern critical edition, allowing us to enjoy once again the music of England's Georgian composers. Eighteen Canzonets for Two and Three Voices Dedication Canzonet 1. I, like a bee Canzonet 2. Whilst our joys Canzonet 3. Thus to the muses Canzonet 4. When Bibo thought fitt Canzonet 5. I, my dear, was born to day Canzonet 6. Why thus from the plain Canzonet 7. Says Pontius in rage Canzonet 8. Whilst I in prison Canzonet 9. Cease, Leonora Canzonet 10. Poor Hall Canzonet 11. Reading ends in melancholly Canzonet 12. Haste, my Nanette Canzonet 13. Soft Cupid Canzonet 14. He is not numb'red with the blest Canzonet 15. Beauty should please Canzonet 16. Pleasure's enchanted ground Canzonet 17. Fair and ugly Canzonet 18. Old I am

89 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2005