please noteFULL DIGITAL ARTWORK

IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR THIS TITLE.

PLEASE EXCUSE ANY FORMATTINGOR SPELLING ODDITIES IN THIS

SCANNED BOOKLET.

- The English Orpheus 29 -

JOHN FREDERICK LAMPE (1702/3-1751)

FLUTE CONCERTO IN G, THE CUCKOO' E Vivace [2'59] [H Adagio [1'04] m Allegro [1'42]

R A C H E L B R O W N flute

s p y ß a m u s a n ò t h i S B e A Mock Opera (1745)

edited and completed by Peter Holman

S Overture: Allegretto - Adagio e piano [3'18] M Air 'Ladies don't fright you' [4'48]

Allegro [136] EU Air 'The man in the moon I am, sir' [3'19]

m Poco presto - H 'Wliere is my love, my Pyre dear' [3'5 5]

Affettuoso - Poco presto [5'51] m Arioso 'Sweet moon, I thank thee' [ l '42]

m Air (Wall) 'The wretched sighs and groans' [372] n Air 'Approach, ye furies felF [3'2 7]

s Air (Pyramus) 'And thou, O wall' [3'20] n Air 'Now I am dead' [3'41]

n Aria 'O wicked wall' [ 278] m Air 'These lily lips' [336]

m Air 'Fly, swift good Time' [2'5 8] m Dance [l '05]

m Whispering duetto 'Not Shafiilus' [2'03] m Duetto 'Thus folding, beholding' [2*56]

n Duetto 'I go without delay' [3'35] n Chorus 'Now e'er you remove' [ l '16]

OPERA RESTOR'D J A C K EDWARDS director PETER H O L M A N musical director

Pyramus MARK PADMORE tenor Thisbe SUSAN BISATT soprano

Wall and Master MICHAEL S A N D E R S O N tenor Moon and Prompter ARWEL T R E H A R N E tenor

Lion and Prologue A N D R E W K N I G H T bass Mr Semibrìef PETER MILNE First Gentleman A L A N M c M A H O N Second Gentleman J A C K E D W A R D S

with P H I L I P P A H Y D E soprano, C O L I N B A L D Y baritone

2

JUDY TARLING, WILLIAM THORP, ELLEN O'DELL, CLARE SALAMAN violin 1 THERESA CAUDLE, JEAN PATERSON, PAUL DENLEY, PAULINE SMITH violin 2

NICOLETTE MOONEN, JANE ROGERS viola KATHARINE SHARMAN, NICOLA KINGSLAKE cello

IAN GAMMIE bass RACHEL BROWN flute

GAIL HENNESSY, CATERINA SPRECKELSEN oboe SALLY JACKSON bassoon

ROGER MONTGOMERY, CHRISTIAN RUTHERFORD horns PETER HOLMAN harpsichord

PETER HOLMAN conductor

Pitch A = 415Hz Temperament: Vallotti, prepared by Philip Ridley Harpsichord: J & A Kirckman (London, 1778)

Recorded on 5-7 July 1994 Recording Engineer ANTONY HOWELL

Recording Producer MARTIN COMPTON Design TERRY SHANNON

Executive Producers JOANNA GAMBLE, NICK FLOWER

® & © Hyperion Records Ltd, London, MCMXCV

Front illustration: a detail from The downfall of Shakespeare on the English stage (exhibited 1765) thought to be by William Dawes (active 1760-1774). Private collection

3

othing for sure is known of the early life of John Frederick Lampe beyond the fact that he was born in the winter of 1702/3 and came from Saxony. He was probably educated in Brunswick, and is known to have studied law at the University of Helmstedt

between 1718 and 1720. Lampe did not pursue a legai career and was soon attracted to music and to Europe's busiest and most lucrative musical centre; he arrived in London around 1726 and seems initially to have earned his living playing the bassoon in Handel's opera orchestra. Handel, a fellow Saxon and another failed lawyer, evidently encouraged him and planned to have him playing the double bassoon at the coronation of George II in 1727. An instrument was specially built by Thomas Stanesby but, according to Burney, 'for want of a proper reed, or for some other cause, at present unknown, no use was made of it, at the time'. Lampe presumably persevered with it, for there is a double bassoon part in Handel's L'Allegro (1740).

Lampes career as a composer seems to have owed a good deal to his friendship with the poet and musician Henry Carey. Carey wrote a quatrain in his honour in 1726,

and in 1732/3 they were both involved with Thomas Arne in a short-lived English opera venture. Lampe's first work for the company, Amelia, was a setting of a text by Carey. Lampe's early operas are mostly serious and made little impression; none survives complete. He discovered his true métier, the satire of Italian opera, in The Opera of Operas; or, Tom Thumb the Great (1733), though he did not have a smash hit until 1737 when his setting of Carey's The Dragon of Wantley appeared. The text was reprinted fourteen times in little more than a year, and it held the stage until 1782. Lampe's later operas, with the exception of Pyramus and Thisbe, were only mildly successful, partly because the public's attention in the 1740s was engaged by the revolution in Shakespearean acting initiated by Charles Macklin and David Garrick. Lampe went to Dublin for two years in 1748, and then on to Edinburgh. Soon after his arrivai in Scotland he succumbed to a fever and died on 25 July 1751. He was buried in Canongate churchyard in Edinburgh, and was commemorated by Charles Wesley in the hymn "Tis done! the Sov'reign will's obey'd'.

The story of Pyramus and Thisbe comes from Book IV of Ovid's Métamorphosés, and was familiar to readers throughout Europe from Classical times. Shakespeare based his 'lamentable tragedy' on Arthur Golding's translation of 1567, though his comic treatment of it is unusual. Other eighteenth-century operas on the theme, such as those by Rebel and Francoeur (1726),

Call not my LAMP obscure, because unknown, He shines in secret (now) to Friends alone; Light him but up! let him in publick blaze, He will delight not only but amaze.

5

Hasse (1768) and Rauzzini (1775) are tragedies. The story is neatly summarised in the 'argument' at the beginning of the printed text of Lampe's libretto, which is worth reproducing in full.

Pyramus and Thisbe were two celebrated Lovers, bred up in Babylon, whose parents lived in neighbouring houses; they kept a nightly correspondence through a hole in a wall that parted their gardens. They determined one evening to steal from home and meet by moonlight at an appointed time at the tomb ofNinus, of the African monarchs. Thisbe came first to the place of assignation, where, being unhappily scared by a lion, she fled, leaving her mantle behind her in her fright. The lion, coming towards the tomb and finding the mantle, in rage tore it to pieces, leaving it stained with gore, his mouth being still bloody with some prey he had met with before. The lion was no sooner gone o f f , but Pyramus came to the tomb. Seeing his mistress's mantle torn and bloody, he concluded she had been devoured by some wild beast, and in despair drew his sword and killed himself. Thisbe, after being recovered from her fear, returned to the tomb, where, meeting this miserable spectacle of blood and horror, with the same sword she put an end to her unhappy life.

Lampe's version of Pyramus and Thisbe is a reworking of the play acted by the 'rude mechanicals' in Act V of A Midsummer Night's Dream, with the satire turned from playwrights and actors to Italian opera and opera singers. The text is partly based on Richard Leveridge's lost Comick Masque of Pyramus and Thisbe (1716), though the author of the 1745 version (Lampe himself?) shortened it, leaving out the rehearsal in Act I, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's play. In both versions, the on-stage audience was changed from Duke Theseus, Hippolyta and the Athenian court to Mr Semibrief, the supposed composer, and two unnamed gentlemen, one of whom has been on the Grand Tour and is critical of 'homespun English entertainments'. The silly comments they make throughout the show are largely drawn from Shakespeare, as are the words of the recitatives, though new words were provided for some of the airs and there are numerous small changes; some are probably corruptions, but we have preserved them since they are part and parcel of the text Lampe set. The other main change is at the end, where an epilogue consisting of a duet and a final chorus was added, despite the fact that Duke Theseus (the Second Gentleman here) has just declined to see one.

Lampe's music for Pyramus and Thisbe was published in full score, though, like many English operas of the time, the recitatives and choruses were omitted and are lost. I composed the recitatives recorded here for Opera Restor'd's touring production, first mounted in 1985, while the final chorus is an adaptation of one in The Dragon ofWantley. Lampe's setting is largely deadpan, with plenty of charming and rather galant music in the style of his brother-in-law,

6

Thomas Arne; in particular, the fashionable 'Scotch snap' rhythms and the sighing appoggiaturas are also found in Arne's song collections of the period. However, Lampe does allow himself a few satirical touches: in Wall's Air the 'groans' and 'moans' are graphically illustrated by the violins, and the 'whispering hole' is delightfully rendered. Handel seems to be the target of Lampe's satire in Pyramus's two rage arias; the second, with its florid runs, is particularly well observed. Of course, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it is pleasant to imagine Lampe carrying out his 'research' each evening in the pit during performances of Handels opéras.

This recording begins with Lampe's only surviving independent orchestral work, the G major Concerto for flute, strings and continuo. It has been included to represent the sort of orchestral music that was routinely played in the London theatres before plays began and as interval music. Its title is easily explained by the last movement.

PETER HOLMAN ©1995

pyRAmus anò thisBe A Mock Opera (1745)

T h e words taken from Shakespeare Edited and completed by Peter Holman

0 Enter Master and Prompter Master Are the properties and everything ready for the performance? Prompter Everything, sir. Master Have you ordered the singers to dress themselves that the practice may be in form? Prompter All is ready as you ordered, we only wait for Mr Semibrief - here he cornes, sir.

Enter Mr Semibrief and tivo gentlemen Semibrief Sir, your most obedient. 1 hope I have not made you wait, but I was obliged to cali on these two

gentlemen, whom I have made bold to bring with me to hear the music. Master Sir, there needs no apology; the gentlemen are welcome. 1 st Gent Sir, we are obliged to you. Semibrief You must know, sir, one of these gentlemen, having made the tour of Italy, has but little taste for our

homespun English entertainments, nor has he yet got the better of his foreign prejudice. But, between you and I, I don't doubt, when he has heard a little of this piece, I shall bring him over to our opinion, and let him see the English tongue is as fit for music as any foreign language of them all.

Master One of our greatest composers has been of that mind, and I have long been of his opinion. Ist Gent We shall be very well pleased to be convinced. Master I'll go and hasten the performance.

7

Pray, Mr Semibrief, what voices have you? Why, I have collected a few with some difficulty; but, as I have taken no small pains with them, I hope you'll find they'll make a decent figure; and if the town will be so good to bear with such English voices as we could now procure, I don't doubt but, with proper encouragement, we may in time be enabled to give the public musical entertainments without sending our money to foreign parts to purchase performers at exorbitant prices. I wish you may succeed, sir, but I own I have some fears for you. I am confident in the good nature of the audience, so shan't despair - but we lose time; I see the performers are waiting.

Enter Prologue If we offend, it is with our good will. That you should think: we come not to offend But with good will. To show our simple skill, This is the true beginning of our end. Consider then, we come, but in despite. We do not come as minding to content you, Our true intent is. Ail for your delight We are not here. That you should here repent you. The singers are at hand, and by their show You shall know ail that you are like to know. This fellow does not stand upon his points. He has rid his prologue like a rough colt: he knows neither stop nor cadence. Indeed, he has played on this prologue like a child on the recorder - in sound but not in government.

OVERTURE (Allegretto - Adagio e piano [U Allegro Q] Poco presto - Affettuoso - Poco presto)

After the overture the curtain rises

Scene: a garden, Wall discover ed Who comes here? This man, with lime and roughcast, presents the wall that parted the lovers, and through which, poor souls, they are to whisper.

RECITATIVE In this same interlude, it doth befall, That I, Starveling by name, present a wall; And such a wall as I would have you think That had in it a cranny, hole or chink, Through which the lovers Pyramus and Thisbe Did whisper often, very secretly. This loam, this roughcast, and this stone doth show That I am that same wall, the truth is so. And this the cranny is, right and sinister, Through which the fearful lovers are to whisper.

AIR [s] The wretched sighs and groans,

The rueful sobs and moans, With pity I Have seen, and now condole. I'll now comply And give assistance Without résistance, If they will hie Unto my whispering hole.

2nd Gent Who would desire lime and hair to sing better? Ist Gent This is the most musical partition I ever heard. Semibrief My friend, this is nothing to what they have abroad, and by degrees I am in hopes to bring our English

to this polite taste. But see, Pyramus draws near the Wall. Silence.

Enter Pyramus

RECITATIVE Pyramus O grim-looked night, a night with hue so black,

O night which ever art when day is not; 0 night, O night, alack, alack, alack, 1 fear my Thisbe's promise is forgot.

AIR [9] And thou, O wall,

Thou sweet and lovely wall, That stands between her father's ground and mine, Show me thy chink That I may blink Through with mine eyne.

RECITATIVE Thanks, courteous wall. Jove shield thee well for this. But what see I? No Thisbe do I see.

AIR [Tö] O wicked wall, through whom no bliss I see,

Curst may you be for thus deceiving me.

Retires Ist Gent The wall methinks, being sensible, should curse again. Semibrief There you are quite mistaken, for 'Deceiving me' is Thisbe's eue. She is to

enter, and he is to spy her through the wall. Pat as I told you. Yonder she comes.

Enter Thisbe

RECITATIVE Thisbe The promised joys that lovers feel

None but a lover can reveal. With expectation here I move To crown my wish and meet my love.

AIR EU Fly swift, good Time, with triple speed

And bring the moment on. Love, wing the hours for hearts that bleed And for each other moan. The secret flame that warms my breast And round my heart does move, Now gives me hope I shall be blest And soon embrace my love.

RECITATIVE O Wall, full often hast thou heard my moan For parting my dear Pyramus and me.

Enter Pyramus Pyramus I see a voice. Now will I to the chink

To see if I can hear my Thisbe's face. Thisbe? Thisbe My love - thou art; my love, I think. Pyramus Think what thou wilt; I am thy lover's grace,

And like Limander am I constant stili. Thisbe And I like Helen till the fates me kill.

THE WHISPERING DUETTO [12] Not Shafalus to Procrus was^o true.

As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you.

RECITATIVE Pyramus O kiss me through the hole of this vile wall. Thisbe I kiss the wall's hole, not thy lips at ali. Pyramus Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightway? Thisbe Tide life, tide death, I come without delay.

DUETTO EU I come/go without delay.

Exit Pyramus and Thisbe

RECITATIVE Wall (solus) Thus have I, Wall, my part discharged so;

And, being done, this Wall away does go.

10

PETER MILNE and ALAN McMAHON as Mr Semibrief arxJ First Gentleman

Ist Gent 2nd Gent Ist Gent Semibrief Ist Gent 2nd Gent Semibrief Ist Gent Semibrief

Lion

Ist Gent 2nd Gent Ist Gent 2nd Gent Semibrief 2nd Gent

Exit Wall Now is the mural down between the two neighbours. No remedy, my friend, when walls are so wilful to hear without warning. This is the silliest stuff that I e'er heard. The best in this kind are but shadows, and the worse are no worse if imagination amend them. It must be your imagination, then, and not theirs. If we imagine no worse of them than they of themselves, they may pass for excellent performers. Now here come two noble beasts in: a man and a lion. I wonder whether the lion be to sing. Never wonder at that - one lion may when many asses do. Beside, you that have seen the Italian opera have seen things much more extravagant. The tomb of Ninus in a wood near Babylon.

Enter Lion

RECITATIVE You ladies, you whose gentle hearts do fear The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor, May now perchance both quake and tremble here When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar. Then know that I one Snug the joiner am No lion feil, nor eke no lion's dam, For, if I should as Lion come in strife Into this place, 'twere pity of my life.

AIR Ladies, don't fright you. I will delight you With gentle roar. Let not a creature, Though fierce in nature, Change any feature, I do implore. So tarne a Lion, Who can say fie on? So füll of breeding, So far exceeding All lions before. A very gentle beast, and of a good conscience. The very best at a beast that ever I saw. This lion is a very fox for his valour. True, and a goose for his discrétion. Not so, my friend, for his valour cannot carry his discrétion, and the fox carries the goose. His discrétion, I am sure, cannot carry his valour, for the goose carries not the fox.

11

Semibrief It is well. Leave it to his discretion, and let us hearken to the Moon.

Enter Moon

RECITATIVE Moon This lanthorn doth the horned Moon present. Myself the man in the moon do seem to be. 2nd Gent This is the greatest error of all the rest - the man should be put into the lanthorn. How is it else the

man in the moon?

I st Gent He dares not come there for the candle; for you see it is already in snuff.

AIR Moon [y0 The man in the moon am I, sir,

And hither come down from the sky, sir, To tell how we people above Enjoy our freedom, pleasures and love. Ever ranging, Ever changing, Bumpers drinking, Never thinking, Thus we riot, thus we rove. The man in the moon am I, sir .. .

Ist Gent I am weary of this moon. Would he would change. 2nd Gent It appears by his small light of discretion that he is on the wane; but yet in all courtesy, in all reason, we

must stay the time. Proceed, Moon. Moon All that I have to say is to tell you that the lanthorn is the moon, I the man in the moon, this thorn

bush, my thorn bush, and this bumper, my bumper. Enter Thisbe

RECITATIVE Thisbe This is old Ninny's tomb. Where is my love?

AIR EH Where is my love, my Pyre dear?

Come, come my Love, my Pyre dear. The wheel of fortune guide thee With gentle love beside thee. Good Moon, sweet Moon, Bright Moon, conduct him here.

Lion O! O! O! O! Lion roars

Thisbe Ah, ah! ah! ah!

Thisbe drops her veil and runs off 1 st Gent Well roared, Lion.

12

2nd Gent Ist Gent 2nd Gent Ist Gent

Well run, Thisbe. Well mouthed, Lion. And then comes Pyramus. And so the lion vanished.

MARK PADMORE

Enter Pyramus

ARIOSO Pyramus |Tt] Sweet moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams.

I thank thee, moon, for shining now so bright; For by thy gracious, golden, glittering streams I trust to taste of truest Thisbe's sight.

Spies the mantle

RECITATIVE But stay, O spite! But mark, poor knight, What dreadful dole is here? Eyes, do you see? How can it be? O dainty duck, O dear! Thy mantle, good -What, stairied with blood?

AIR [Ts] Approach, ye furies feil.

O fates, come, come, Cut thread and thrum, Quail, crush, conclude, and quell.

Ist Gent This passion - and the death of a dear friend - would go near to make a man.look sad. 2nd Gent Beshrew my heart, but I pity the man. Ist Gent If this won't move the ladies, poor Pyramus will take pains to little purpose. Semibrief If this won't fetch a subscription, 1*11 never pretend to compose opera or masque again while I live.

RECITATIVE Pyramus O wherefore, nature, didst thou lions frame,

Since lion wild hath here deflowered my dear? Which is - no, no - which was the fairest dame That lived, that loved, that liked, that looked with cheer.

ARIOSO Come tears, confound; Out sword, and wound The pap of Pyramus. Ay, that left pap,

13

Where heart doth hop As bird doth hop in cage. Thus die I: thus, thus, thus.

AIR [19] Now I am dead,

Now I am fled, My soul is in the sky. Tongue, lose thy light; Moon, take thy flight. I die, die, die, die, die.

He dies 1 st Gent So, there's an end of Pyramus. 2nd Gent I assure you the man died well, like a hero in an Italian opera, to very good time and tune. 1 st Gent But how chance the moonshine is gone before Thisbe cornes back and finds her lover? Semibrief She will find him by starlight. Here she cornes, and her passion ends the masque. 2nd Gent Methinks she should not use a long one for such a Pyramus. I hope she'll be brief. Semibrief A moth will turn the balance which Pyramus, which Thisbe, is the better - silence, she has spied him

already.

Enter Thisbe

RECITATIVE Thisbe Asleep, my love?

What, dead, my dove? O Pyramus, arise. Speak, speak. Quite dumb? Dead, dead? A tomb Must cover thy sweet eyes.

AIR Ho) These lily lips,

This cherry nose, These yellow cowslip cheeks Are gone, are gone. Lovers, make moan. His eyes were green as leeks. O sisters three, Come, come to me Withhands as pale as milk. Lay them in gore, Since you have shore With shears this thread of silk. Tongue, not a word.

JACK EDWARDS

14

Come, trusty sword, Come, biade, my beast embrue. Now farewell, friends, Thus Thisbe ends. Adieu, adieu, adieu.

She dies lst Gent Moonshine and Lion are left to bury the dead. 2nd Gent Ay, and Wall too. Semibrief No, I assure you, the wall is down that parted their father's garden. Now, will it please you to see the

epilogue or a dance? 2nd Gent No epilogue, I beseech you. The masque needs no excuse, for when the performers are ali dead there

need none to be blamed. Yet I think, if he that wrote it had done Pyramus and hanged himself in Thisbe's garters, it would have been a fine tragedy.

lst Gent And so it is, truly, and very notably discharged. But pray, Mr Semibrief, who is to perform the epilogue? Semibrief Pyramus and Thisbe. lst Gent Pyramus and Thisbe? They are both dead. Semibrief Pho, pho, not so dead, but they may revive without the help of a surgeon. So, d'ye hear, get up and

prepare for the epilogue. Is it not better that they should get up themselves, than for two of three dirty scene men to carry them off. And whilst they are preparing we'll entertain you with a dance.

H DANCE Pyramus and Thisbe come forward and address themselves to the audience

EPILOGUE, RECITATIVE Pyramus Gentlemen and ladies, we've a boon to ask,

That you would deign to like our masque. Thisbe And, in return, our thanks we'll pay,

With strife to please you day by day. Pyramus And wish ali you in love may be,

As I to Thisbe, she to me.

DUETTO m Thus folding,

Beholding, Caressing, Possessing My Thisbe/Pyre, my dear, We'll live out the year. And with its renewing Continue our wooing 'Till ages, when past, Shall as hours appear. And happy, my Thisbe/Pyre,

15

Each minute shall prove, Abounding with pleasure, O'erflowing with love.

CHORUS [23] Now, e'er you remove,

We hope you'll approve This wonderful story of wonderful love.

ope^a RestoR'ô Established in 1986, Opéra Restor'd has become the leading touring company specializing in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English opéra and music theatre both in Britain and abroad. In recent years the company has brought its work to a wider audience by concentrating principally on small-scale, flexible productions of eighteenth-century comic opéras.

The trio of directors (Peter Holman - music, Jack Edwards - stage, and Robin Linklater -design) share the task of seeking out and reviving the lesser-known repertoire, restoring it in a way that both creates and makes accessible the rich musical life of earlier centuries. Through their work both inside and outside the company, they also provide opportunities for many new young singers and designers. Opéra Restor'd works with Hyperion Records in exploring these works, and a recording of three opéras by Charles Dibdin (including The Ephesian Matron) was released in 1992 to wide critical enthusiasm.

C H A R L E S DIBDIN (1745-1814) The Ephesian Matron

The Brickdust Man T h e Grenadier

O P E R A R E S T O R ' D / PETER H O L M A N Compact Disc C D A 6 6 6 0 8

'An hour of unmitigated pleasure. Another splendid addition to Hyperion s English Orpheus sériés' (Classic C D )

PETER HOLMAN A photograph by Sophie Baker

16

pyœamus e t thisBe

Peu d'événements des premières années de la vie de John Frederick Lampe sont connus, à part le fait qu'il est né en Saxe durant l'hiver 1702/3. Il fut probablement éduqué à Brunswick, et il étudia le Droit à l'Université de Helmstedt entre 1718 et 1720. Lampe

ne poursuivit pas de carrière en Droit et fut très tôt attiré par la musique, ainsi que par le centre musical le plus animé et lucratif de toute l'Europe, Londres. Il y arriva aux alentours de 1726, et semble avoir au début gagné son pain en tant que bassoniste au sein de l'orchestre de l'opéra de Haendel. Haendel, un collègue saxon ayant lui aussi abandonné le Droit, l'encouragea et proposa qu'il tienne le rôle de bassoniste au Couronnement du Roi George II, en 1727. Un instrument fut spécialement fabriqué par Thomas Stanesby mais, selon Burney, "il ne fut jamais utilisé à l'époque, en raison de l'anche qui n'était pas appropriée, ou pour d'autres raisons encore inconnues". Lampe persévéra vraisemblablement avec celui-ci, car l'Ai/egro de Haendel (1740) contient une partition pour basson. La carrière de Lampe comme compositeur semble s'être développée en grande partie grâce à son amitié avec le poète et musicien Henry Carey. Carey composa un quatrain en son honneur en 1726,

Call not my LAMP obscure, because unknown, He shines in secret (now) to Friends alone; Light him but up! let him in publick blaze, He will delight not only but amaze.

Ne crois pas que ma LAMPE est obscure parce qu'inconnue, Elle brille en secret (maintenant) aux yeux de ses Amis; Eclaire-la! Laisse la flamboyer en public, Non seulement elle charmera mais elle surprendra.

et en 1732/3 tous deux furent invités, avec Thomas Arne, à prêter main forte à l'entreprise éphémère d'un opéra anglais. La première oeuvre de Lampe pour la compagnie, Amelia, était la mise en musique d'un texte de Carey. Les premiers opéras de Lampe sont pour la plupart sérieux, et n'impressionnent pas tellement; aucun ne survécut en entier. Il découvrit son vrai métier, la satire de l'opéra italien, dans The Opéra of Opéras; ou, Tom Thumb the Great (1733), mais il ne connut pas de succès important avant 1782. Les opéras plus tardifs de Lampe, à l'exception de Pyramus et Thisbe, ne connurent pas non plus un succès grandiose, en partie parce que l'attention du public dans les années 1740 était plus attirée par la révolution dans la façon de jouer Shakespearienne, initiée par Charles Macklin et David Garrick. Lampe se rendit à Dublin en 1748 et y vécut pendant deux ans. Il s'établit ensuite à Edimbourg. Peu après son arrivée en Ecosse, il succomba à la fièvre et mourut le 25 juillet 1751. Il fut enterré

17

dans le cimetière de Canongate à Edimbourg, et fut commémoré par Charles Wesley dans l'hymne 'Tis done! the Sov'reign will's obey'd'. L'histoire de Pyramus et Thisbe provient du quatrième livre d'Ovid, Métamorphoses, et était familière aux lecteurs de l'époque classique à travers l'Europe. Shakespeare s'inspira de la traduction d'Arthur Golding datant de 1567 pour sa 'tragédie lamentable', mais son traitement de la comédie y est inhabituel. D'autres opéras du XVIIIe siècle basés sur ce thème sont de style tragique, comme ceux de Rebel et Francoeur (1726), Hasse (1768) et Rauzzini (1775). L'histoire est clairement résumée dans 'l'argument' au début du texte imprimé du libretto de Lampe, et vaut la peine d'être citée en entier:

Pyramus et Thisbe étaient deux amants, et furent élevés à Babylone. Les maisons de leurs parents étaient voisines. Ils correspondaient en secret par une ouverture dans le mur qui séparait leurs jardins. Ils décidèrent un soir de s'échapper en secret de leurs maisons et de se rencontrer, au clair de lune, à une heure précise à la tombe de Ninus, un monarque africain. Thisbe s'y rendit la première, mais fut effrayée par un lion et s'enfuit, laissant tomber par inadvertance sa mante. Le lion, s'avançant vers la tombe et trouvant la mante, la déchiqueta dans un moment de rage, et l'abandonna tachée de sang, car il avait tué une proie plus tôt et sa mâchoire était ensanglantée. Le lion venait de disparaître lorsque Pyramus arriva à la tombe. En voyant la mante de son amante déchirée et tachée de sang, il crut qu'elle avait été dévorée par une bête sauvage, et accablé de désespoir, sortit son épée et se donna la mort. Thisbe, après s'être ressaisie, retourna à la tombe pour découvrir à son horreur le spectacle sanglant, et à l'aide de la même épée mit fin à son existence sans bonheur.

La version de Pyramus et Thisbe de Lampe est un remaniement de la pièce jouée par les 'ouvriers et artisans frustes' dans l'acte V de Songe d'une nuit d'été, avec une ironie, cette fois non pas dirigée vers les acteurs et les dramaturges, mais vers l'opéra italien et ses chanteurs. Le texte s'inspire en partie du Comick Masque of Pyramus and Thisbe de Richard Leveridge (1716), oeuvre maintenant égarée, mais l'auteur de la version de 1745 (Lampe lui-même?) la raccourcit, supprimant la séance de répétition de l'acte I, scène 2 de la pièce de Shakespeare. Dans les deux versions, le public sur la scène, habituellement composé du Duc Theseus, d'Hippolyta et de la cour athénienne, a été remplacé par Monsieur Semibrief, le supposé compositeur, et deux aristocrates anonymes, dont l'un faisait partie du Grand Tour et condamnait les 'divertissements simples et rustiques anglais'. Les commentaires stupides qui sont faits tout au long de la pièce sont principalement inspirés de Shakespeare, comme le sont les textes des récitatifs, mais les mots nouveaux proviennent de quelques-uns des airs et plusieurs furent quelque peu altérés; certains sont probablement corrompus, mais nous les

18

avons conservés car ils font partie du texte de Lampe. Un autre changement important se trouve à la fin, où est ajouté un épilogue qui consiste en un duo et un choeur final, malgré le fait que le Duc Thesus (le deuxième aristocrate) eût juste mentionné qu'il ne souhaitait pas voir d'épilogue. La musique de Lampe pour Pyramus et Thisbe fut publiée en entier, mais, tout comme plusieurs opéras anglais à l'époque, les récitatifs et les choeurs furent supprimés et sont maintenant introuvables. Le présent auteur composa les récitatifs enregistrés ici pour la production en tournée, Opéra Restor'd, qui fut présentée pour la première fois en 1985, alors que le choeur final est une adaptation tirée de The Dragon ofWantley. La mise en musique de Lampe est très pince-sans-rire, avec sa musique galante et charmante interprétée dans le style propre à son beau-frère, Thomas Arne; en particulier, le rythme très en vogue 'Scotch snap' et les appoggiatures qui soupirent peuvent être aussi trouvés dans la collection de chants d'Arne de l'époque. Cependant, Lampe ne se permet pas de touches satiriques: dans l'air de Wall, les 'grognements' et les 'plaintes' sont illustrés de façon très vivante par les violons, et 'l'ouverture dans le mur d'où les mots doux sont murmurés' est merveilleusement interprétée. Haendel semble être le point de mire de l'ironie de Lampe dans les deux arias animées de Pyramus; la deuxième, avec ses rythmes fleuris, est d'une observation particulièrement juste. Bien sûr, l'imitation est la plus sincère forme de flatterie, et il est amusant d'imaginer Lampe exécutant le fruit de sa 'recherche' tous les soirs dans la fosse d'orchestre durant les représentations des opéras de Haendel.

La première partie de cet enregistrement présente la seule oeuvre orchestrale de Lampe qui ait survécu, le Concerto en Sol majeur pour flûte, cordes et basse continue. Elle fut incluse au programme pour donner une idée du genre de musique orchestrale qui était couramment jouée dans les théâtres de Londres avant le début de la pièce ou comme interlude musical. Son titre est facilement expliqué par le dernier mouvement.

PETER HOLMAN ©1995 Traduction ISABELLE DUBOIS

Si ce disque vous a plu, sachez qu'il existe un catalogue de tous les autres disques disponibles sur les labels Hyperion et Helios. Ecrivez à Hyperion Records Ltd, PO Box 25, London SE9 1AX, Angleterre, et nous vous enverrons un catalogue gratuit.

19

pyßamus unö thisße

Aus den frühen Lebensjahren von Johann Friedrich Lampe ist uns mit Sicherheit nur bekannt, daß er im Winter 1702/3 geboren wurde und aus Sachsen stammt. Er ging wahrscheinlich in Braunschweig zur Schule und studierte zwischen 1718 und 1720 Jura

an der Universität Helmstedt. Lampe schlug nicht die juristische Laufbahn ein, aber wurde bald von der Musik und von Europas betriebsamstem und lukrativstem Musikzentrum angezogen; er kam 1726 in London an und es scheint, als habe er sich anfangs seinen Lebensunterhalt als Fagottist in Händeis Opernorchester verdient. Händel, der ebenfalls Sachse und gescheiterter Jurist war, ermutigte ihn offensichtlich und hatte vor, daß er 1727 bei der Krönung von George II. das Kontrafagott spielen sollte. Ein Instrument wurde eigens von Thomas Stanesby angefertigt, jedoch wurde es, laut Burney, "weil es kein richtiges Rohrblatt besaß, oder aus einem anderen, jetzt unbekannten Grunde, bei diesem Anlaß nicht verwendet". Es ist anzunehmen, daß Lampe weiter darauf spielte, denn in Händeis L'Allegro (1840) findet sich ein Kontrafagott-Part. Lampes Laufbahn als Komponist scheint seiner Freundschaft mit dem Dichter und Musiker Henry Carey sehr viel zu verdanken. 1726 schrieb Carey zu seinen Ehren einen Vierzeiler,

Call not my LAMP obscure, because unknown, He shines in secret (now) to Friends alone; Light him but up! let him in publick blaze, He will delight not only but amaze.

Nenn' meinen LAMPE nicht obskur, weil unbekannt, Er leuchtet heimlich (jetzt) allein den Freunden; Zünd' ihn doch an! laß öffentlich ihn lodern, Er wird sowohl erfreu'n als auch erstaunen.

und 1732/3 waren beide Mitarbeiter von Thomas Arne in einem kurzlebigen Opernunternehmen. Amelia, Lampes erstes .Werk für das Unternehmen, war eine Vertonung eines Textes von Carey. Die meisten von Lampes frühen Opern sind ernster Natur und hinterließen keinen großen Eindruck; keine von ihnen ist vollständig erhalten. Sein wahres Metier, die Satire auf italienische Opern, entdeckte er in Der Oper der Opern; oder Der Große Däumling (1733). Einen Riesenerfolg hatte er jedoch erst im Jahre 1737, als seine Vertonung von Careys Der Drache von Wantley erschien. In etwas mehr als einem Jahr wurde der Text vierzehnmal nachgedruckt und beherrschte die Bühne bis 1782. Mit Ausnahme von Pyramus und Thisbe waren Lampes spätere Opern nur mäßig erfolgreich, und ein Grund dafür war die durch Charles Macklin und David Garrick entfachte Revolution im Shakespeare-Vortrag, die

20

in den 1740er Jahren die Aufmerksamkeit des Publikums in Anspruch nahm. 1748 ging Lampe für zwei Jahre nach Dublin, und dann weiter nach Edinburgh. Bald nach seiner Ankunft in Schottland zog er sich eine Fieberkrankheit zu und starb am 25. Juli 1751. Er wurde im Canongate-Friedhof in Edinburgh beerdigt und von Charles Wesley in dem Kirchenlied "Tis done! The Sov'reign will's obey'd' [es ist vollbracht! dem Willen des Herrn ist genüge getan] gewürdigt.

Die Geschichte von Pyramus und Thisbe stammt aus dem 4- Buch von Ovids Metamorphosen, und war seit der Zeit der antiken Klassik Lesern in ganz Europa bekannt. Shakespeare legte seiner 'beklagenswerten Tragödie' Arthur Goldings Übersetzung von 1567 zugrunde, ungewöhnlich ist jedoch seine komische Behandlung dieses Stoffes. Andere im achtzehnten Jahrhundert entstandene Opern über dieses Thema, wie die von Rebel und Francoeur (1726), Hasse (1768) und Rauzzini (1775) sind Tragödien. In dem 'Argument' zu Beginn des gedruckten Textes von Lampes Libretto wird die Geschichte in geschickter Weise zusammengefaßt, und es lohnt sich daher, diese Passage hier ungekürzt wiederzugeben:

Pyramus und Thisbe waren ein berühmtes Liebespaar, welches in Babybn aufwuchs, und dessen Eltern in benachbarten Häusern wohnten; durch ein Loch in einer Wand, die ihre Gärten trennte, hielten die beiden eine nächtliche Korrespondenz aufrecht. Eines Abends entschlossen sie sich, von zu Hause fortzulaufen und sich im Mondlicht zu einer festgesetzten Zeit am Grabe der afrikanischen Könige in Ninus zu treffen. Thisbe erschien zuerst an dem Treffpunkt, floh jedoch, nachdem ein Löwe sie unglücklicherweise erschreckte, und ließ vor lauter Angst ihren Umhang zurück. Der Löwe riß, als er zum Grab kam und den Umhang fand, diesen vor Wut in Stücke. Da sein Maul noch blutig vonJ seiner zuvor gefressenen Beute war, hinterließ er Blutflecken auf dem Unhang. Kaum war der Löwe verschwunden, da kam Pyramus am Grab an. Als er den zerrissenen und blutbefleckten Umhang seiner Geliebten erblickte, schloß er, daß sie selbst von einem wilden Tier verschlungen worden war. In seiner Verzweiflung zog er sein Schwert und tötete sich damit. Thisbe, die sich von ihrer Furcht erholt hatte, kehrte zum Grab zurück, wo sie, angesichts des fürchterlichen Anblickes von Blut und Entsetzen, mit demselben Schwert ihrem unglücklichen Leben ein Ende machte.

Lampes Version von Pyramus und Thisbe ist eine Bearbeitung des von den 'groben Handwerkern' im 5. Akt des Sommernachtstraums aufgeführten Stückes. In ihr richtet sich jedoch die Satire statt auf Bühnenschriftsteller und Schauspieler auf Opern und Opernsänger. Der Text beruht teilweise auf Richard Leveridges verschollener Comick Masque of Pyramus and Thisbe (1716). Der Autor der Fassung von 1745 (vielleicht Lampe selbst?) kürzte ihn und ließ die in der 2. Szene des 1. Aktes von Shakespeares Stück enthaltene Probe aus. In beiden

21

Fassungen wurde das auf der Bühne anwesende Publikum ausgewechselt; statt aus Herzog Theseus, Hippolyta und dem athenischen Hof bestand es jetzt aus Mr. Semibrief, einem angeblichen Komponisten, und zwei namenlosen Herren, von denen einer eine Kavalierstour unternommen hat und 'hausbackener englischer Unterhaltung' kritisch gegenübersteht. Die albernen Bemerkungen, die diese Zuschauer während des ganzen Stückes machen, sind großenteils aus Shakespeare entnommen, und das trifft auch auf die Rezitative zu, wenn auch neue Texte für einige der Arien geliefert wurden und es zahlreiche kleine Änderungen gibt; einige dieser Abweichungen sind wahrscheinlich Korrumpierungen, aber da sie alle ein integraler Bestandteil des von Lampe vertonten Textes sind, haben wir sie hier beibehalten. Die andere hauptsächliche Abweichung tritt gegen Ende auf. Hier wird ein aus einem Duett und einem Schlußchor bestehender Epilog angehängt, obwohl Herzog Theseus (hier in der Rolle des Zweiten Herren), es gerade abgelehnt hat, sich ein solches Nachspiel anzusehen.

Lampes Musik zu Pyramus und Thisbe wurde in der vollständigen Partitur gedruckt, obgleich, wie in vielen englischen Opern jener Zeit, die Rezitative und Chöre ausgelassen wurden und mittlerweile verlorengegangen sind. Die hier aufgezeichneten Rezitative komponierte ich für die erstmals 1985 unternommene Tourneeauffuhrung von Opera Restor'd; der Schlußchor ist eine Bearbeitung eines Schlußchors in Der Drache von Wantley. Lampes Vertonung ist durchgängig von trockenem Humor geprägt und enthält reizvolle und ziemlich galante Musik im Stile seines Schwagers Thomas Arne; insbesondere die modischen 'Scotch snap'-Rhythmen und die seufzenden Appogiaturen sind auch in Arnes Liedersammlungen jener Zeit zu finden. Jedoch erlaubt er sich ein paar satirische Anflüge: in Walls Arie werden das 'Stöhnen' und die 'Seufzer' plastisch durch die Violinen dargestellt, und auch das 'Flüsterloch' wird entzückend musikalisch untermalt. In den zwei von Pyramus gesungenen Wutarien scheint Händel die Zielscheibe von Lampes Satire abzugeben; besonders die zweite mit ihren reichverzierten Läufen zeugt von seiner ausgezeichneten Beobachtungsgabe. Selbstverständlich ist Nachahmung die aufrichtigste Form von Schmeichelei, und es ist amüsant, sich Lampe vorzustellen, wie er jeden Abend bei Aufführungen von Händeis Opern im Parkett seine 'Forschungen' trieb.

Diese Aufnahme beginnt mit Lampes einzigem erhalten gebliebenen eigenständigen Werk für Orchester, dem Konzert in G-Dur für Flöte, Streicher und Continuo. Es wurde hier als Beispiel für die Art der Orchestermusik aufgezeichnet, die routinemäßig in Londoner Theatern vor Beginn der Stücke und als Zwischenaktmusik gespielt wurde. Der Titel dieses Konzerts wird leicht durch seinen letzten Satz erklärt.

P E T E R H O L M A N © 1 9 9 5 Übersetzung ANGELIKA MALBERT

2 2

If you have enjoyed this recording perhaps you would like a catalogue listing the many others available on the Hyperion and Helios labels. If so, please write to Hyperion Records Ltd, PO Box 25, London SE9 1AX, England, and we will be pleased to send you one free of charge.

Wenn Ihnen diese Aufnahme gefallen hat, so interessieren Sie sich vielleicht für einen Katalog der vielen anderen Aufnahmen der Serien 'Hyperion' und 'Helios'. Bitte schreiben Sie an Hyperion Records Ltd, PO Box 25, London SE9 1AX, England, und wir senden Ihnen gern unentgeltlich unseren Katalog.

Si este disco le ha gustado y desea recibir un catälogo con otros de las marcas Hyperion y Helios, escriba a Hyperion Records Ltd, PO Box 25, London SE9 1 AX, Inglaterra, y le enviaremos un ejemplar gratuito.

Copyright subsists in all Hyperion recordings and it is illegal to copy them, in whole or in part, for any purpose whatsoever, without permission from the Copyright holder, Hyperion Records Ltd, PO Box 25, London SE9 1AX, England. Any unauthorised copying or re-recording, broadcasting, or public Performance of this or any other Hyperion recording will constitute an infringement of Copyright. Applications for a public Performance licence should be sent to Phonographic Performance Ltd, Ganton House, 14-22 Ganton Street, London W1V 1LB.

23

CDA66759

The English Orpheus - 29

JOHN FREDERICK LAMPE (1702/3-1751)

FLUTE CONCERTO IN G, 'THE CUCKOO' E Vivace [2*59] E] Adagio [1*04] El Allegro [1*42]

R A C H E L B R O W N flute

e p y ß A m u s a n ò t h i s b e A Mock Opera (1745)

edited and completed by Peter Holman

OD Overture: Allegretto - Adagio e piano [3'18] [w| Air 'Ladies don't firight you' [4'48] [H Allegro [1*36] OH Air 'The man in the moon I am, sir' [3'19]

LO Poco presto - OJ] 'Where is my love, my Pyre dear' [3*55] Affettuoso - Poco presto [5'51] d Arioso 'Sweet moon, I thank thee' [1*42]

OD Air (Wall) 'The wretched sighs and groans' [3 '22] [!| Air 'Approach, ye furies fell' [3*273 [9] Air (Pyramus) 'And thou, O wall' [3*20] [I| Air 'Now I am dead' [3'41] [¡3 Aria 'O wicked wall' [ 278 ] H] Air 'These lily lips' [3'3 6] [nj Air 'Fly, swift good Time' [2'58] [21] Dance [1*05] EU Whispering duetto 'Not Shafulus' [2'03] [H Duetto 'Thus folding, beholding' [2'56J IH Duetto 'I go without delay' [3*35] IH Chorus 'Now e'er you remove' [ l '16]

OPERA RESTOR'D J A C K E D W A R D S director PETER H O L M A N musical director