Henry Purcell’s

Dido and Aeneas

VANCOUVER EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015
 Henry Purcell
(1659-1695)

Come Ye Sons of Art

Ode for Queen Mary’s birthday, z. 323 (1694); Text by Nahum Tate

i vi
Sinfonia The day that such a blessing gave
(bass solo and chorus)
ii The day that such a blessing gave
Come ye Sons of Art No common festival should be.
(ritornello, alto solo and chorus) What it justly seem’d to crave,
Come, ye Sons of Art, come away, Grant, o grant, and let it have
Tune all your voices and instruments play, The honour of a Jubilee.
To celebrate this triumphant day.
vii
iii Bid the Virtues, bid the Graces
Sound the trumpet (soprano aria)
(alto duet) Bid the Virtues, bid the Graces
Sound the trumpet till around To the sacred shrine repair,
You make the listening shores rebound. Round the altar take their places,
On the sprightly oboy play. Blessing with returns of pray’r
All the instruments of joy Their great Defender’s care
That skilful numbers can employ While Maria’s royal zeal
To celebrate the glory of this day. Best instructs you how to pray
Hourly from her own
iv Conversing with th’Eternal Throne.
Come ye Sons of Art
(ritornello and chorus) viii
Come, ye Sons of Art, come away, These are the sacred charms
Tune all your voices and instruments play, (bass aria)
To celebrate this triumphant day. These are the sacred charms that shield
Her daring hero in the field;
v Thus she supports his righteous cause,
Strike the Viol, touch the Lute Thus to aid his immortal pow’r she draws.
(tenor solo and ritornello)
Strike the Viol, touch the Lute, ix
Wake the Harp, inspire the Flute: See Nature, rejoicing
Sing your Patronesse’s Praise, (soprano & bass duet and chorus)
Sing, in cheerful and harmonious Lays. See Nature, rejoicing, has shown us the way,
With innocent revels to welcome the day.
The tuneful grove, and talking rill,
The laughing vale, the replying hill,
With charming harmony unite,
The happy season to invite.
What the Graces require,
And the Muses inspire,
Is at once our delight and our duty to pay.
Thus Nature, rejoicing, has shown us the way,
With innocent revels to welcome the day.

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 Dido and Aeneas
Opera in a prologue and three acts, z. 626 (1688); Libretto by Nahum Tate

Overture DIDO
Mine with storms of care opprest
Act the First Is taught to pity the distrest.
Mean wretches’ grief can touch,
Scene: The Palace So soft, so sensible my breast,
[enter Dido, Belinda and Train]
But ah! I fear, I pity his too much.
BELINDA AND SECOND WOMAN [Repeated by Chorus]
BELINDA
Shake the cloud from off your brow, Fear no danger to ensue,
Fate your wishes does allow. The Hero Loves as well as you,
Empire growing, Ever gentle, ever smiling,
Pleasures flowing, And the cares of life beguiling,
Fortune smiles and so should you. Cupid strew your path with flowers
Gather’d from Elysian bowers.
CHORUS
DANCE THIS CHORUS: THE BASKE
Banish sorrow, banish care.
Grief should ne’er approach the fair. [Aeneas enters with his Train]

DIDO BELINDA
Ah! Belinda, I am prest See, your Royal Guest appears,
With torment not to be confest, How Godlike is the form he bears!
Peace and I are strangers grown. AENEAS
I languish till my grief is known, When, Royal Fair, shall I be blest
Yet would not have it guesst. With cares of love and state distrest?
BELINDA
DIDO
Grief increases by concealing, Fate forbids what you pursue.
DIDO
AENEAS
Mine admits of no revealing. Aeneas has no fate but you!
BELINDA Let Dido smile and I’ll defy
Then let me speak; the Trojan guest The feeble stroke of Destiny.
Into your tender thoughts has prest; CHORUS
The greatest blessing Fate can give Cupid only throws the dart
Our Carthage to secure and Troy revive. That’s dreadful to a warrior’s heart,
CHORUS And she that wounds can only cure the smart.
When monarchs unite, how happy their state, AENEAS
They triumph at once o’er their foes and their fate. If not for mine, for Empire’s sake,
DIDO Some pity on your lover take;
Whence could so much virtue spring? Ah! make not, in a hopeless fire
What storms, what battles did he sing? A hero fall, and Troy once more expire.
Anchises’ valour mixt with Venus’ charms BELINDA
How soft in peace, and yet how fierce in arms! Pursue thy conquest, Love; her eyes
BELINDA Confess the flame her tongue denies.
A tale so strong and full of woe CHORUS
Might melt the rocks as well as you. To the hills and the vales, to the rocks and the mountains
What stubborn heart unmov’d could see To the musical groves and the cool shady fountains.
Such distress, such piety? Let the triumphs of love and of beauty be shown,
Go revel, ye Cupids, the day is your own.
THE TRIUMPHING DANCE
÷÷÷

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 Act the Second CHORUS [in the manner of an echo.]
In our deep vaulted cell the charm we’ll prepare,
Scene I: The Cave Too dreadful a practice for this open air.
[enter Sorceress] ECHO DANCE [Enchantresses and Fairies]
PRELUDE FOR THE WITCHES
SORCERESS Scene II: The Grove
Wayward sisters, you that fright
[enter Aeneas, Dido, Belinda, and their train]
The lonely traveller by night
Who, like dismal ravens crying, RITORNELLE [Orchestra]
Beat the windows of the dying,
BELINDA [Repeated by Chorus]
Appear! Appear at my call, and share in the fame
Thanks to these lovesome vales,
Of a mischief shall make all Carthage flame.
These desert hills and dales,
Appear!
So fair the game, so rich the sport,
[enter Enchantresses] Diana’s self might to these woods resort.
FIRST WITCH SECOND WOMAN
Say, Beldam, say what’s thy will. Oft she visits this lov’d mountain,
Oft she bathes her in this fountain;
CHORUS
Here Actaeon met his fate,
Harm’s our delight and mischief all our skill.
Pursued by his own hounds,
SORCERESS And after mortal wounds
The Queen of Carthage, whom we hate, Discover’d, discover’d too late.
As we do all in prosp’rous state,
[A Dance to entertain Aeneas by Dido’s women]
Ere sunset, shall most wretched prove,
Depriv’d of fame, of life and love! AENEAS
Behold, upon my bending spear
CHORUS
A monster’s head stands bleeding,
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! [etc.]
With tushes far exceeding
TWO WITCHES Those did Venus’ huntsman tear.
Ruin’d ere the set of sun?
DIDO
Tell us, how shall this be done?
The skies are clouded, hark! how thunder
SORCERESS Rends the mountain oaks asunder.
The Trojan Prince, you know, is bound
BELINDA [Repeated by Chorus]
By Fate to seek Italian ground;
Haste, haste to town, this open field
The Queen and he are now in chase.
No shelter from the storm can yield.
FIRST WITCH
[exeunt Dido and Belinda and train]
Hark! Hark! the cry comes on apace.
[The Spirit of the Sorceress descends to Aeneas
SORCERESS in the likeness of Mercury]
But, when they’ve done, my trusty Elf
In form of Mercury himself SPIRIT
As sent from Jove shall chide his stay, Stay, Prince and hear great Jove’s command;
And charge him sail tonight with all his fleet away. He summons thee this Night away.
CHORUS AENEAS
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! [etc.] Tonight?
[Enter a Drunken Sailor; a dance] SPIRIT
Tonight thou must forsake this land,
TWO WITCHES
The angry god will brook no longer stay.
But ere we this perform,
Jove commands thee, waste no more
We’ll conjure for a storm
In Love’s delights, those precious hours,
To mar their hunting sport
Allow’d by th’Almighty Powers
And drive ‘em back to court.
To gain th’ Hesperian shore
And ruined Troy restore.

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AENEAS SORCERESS
Jove’s commands shall be obey’d, Our next motion
Tonight our anchors shall be weighed. Must be to storm her lover on the ocean!
From the ruin of others our pleasures we borrow,
[Exit Spirit.]
Elissa bleeds tonight, and Carthage flames tomorrow.
But ah! what language can I try
CHORUS
My injur’d Queen to pacify:
Destruction’s our delight
No sooner she resigns her heart,
Delight our greatest sorrow!
But from her arms I’m forc’d to part.
Elissa dies tonight and Carthage flames tomorrow.
How can so hard a fate be took?
One night enjoy’d, the next forsook. [Jack of the Lanthorn leads the Spaniards out of
Yours be the blame, ye gods! For I their way among the Enchantresses.]
Obey your will, but with more ease could die.
THE WITCHES’ DANCE
THE SORCERESS AND HER ENCHANTRESSES (CHORUS)
[Enter Dido, Belinda and train]
Then since our charmes have sped,
A merry dance be led DIDO
By the nymphs of Carthage to please us. Your counsel all is urged in vain
They shall all dance to ease us, To Earth and Heav’n I will complain!
A dance that shall make the spheres to wonder, To Earth and Heav’n why do I call?
Rending those fair groves asunder. Earth and Heav’n conspire my fall.
To Fate I sue, of other means bereft
THE GROVES DANCE
The only refuge for the wretched left.
÷÷÷
BELINDA
See, Madam, see where the Prince appears;
Act the Third Such sorrow in his looks he bears
As would convince you still he’s true.
Scene: The Ships
[enter Aeneas]
[enter the Sailors, the Sorceress, and her Enchantresses]
AENEAS
PRELUDE What shall lost Aeneas do?
How, royal fair, shall I impart
FIRST SAILOR [Repeated by Chorus]
The God’s decree, and tell you we must part?
Come away, fellow sailors, your anchors be weighing.
Time and tide will admit no delaying. DIDO
Take a bouzy short leave of your nymphs on the shore, Thus on the fatal banks of nile,
And silence their mourning Weeps the deceitful crocodile
With vows of returning Thus hypocrites, that murder act,
But never intending to visit them more. Make Heaven and Gods the authors of the Fact.
THE SAILORS’ DANCE AENEAS
By all that’s good ...
SORCERESS
See the flags and streamers curling DIDO
Anchors weighing, sails unfurling. By all that’s good, no more!
All that’s good you have forswore.
FIRST WITCH
To your promis’d empire fly
Phoebe’s pale deluding beams
And let forsaken Dido die.
Guilding more deceitful streams.
AENEAS
SECOND WITCH
In spite of Jove’s command, I’ll stay.
Our plot has took,
Offend the Gods, and Love obey.
The Queen’s forsook.
DIDO
TWO WITCHES
No, faithless man, thy course pursue;
Elissa’s ruin’d, ho, ho!
I’m now resolv’d as well as you.
Our plot has took,
No repentance shall reclaim
The Queen’s forsook, ho, ho!
The injur’d Dido’s slighted flame.

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 For ‘tis enough, whate’er you now decree,
That you had once a thought of leaving me.
AENEAS
Let Jove say what he will: I’ll stay!
DIDO
Away, away! No, no, away!
AENEAS
No, no, I’ll stay, and Love obey!
DIDO
To Death I’ll fly
If longer you delay;
Away, away!.....
[Exit Aeneas]

But Death, alas! I cannot shun;

Death must come when he is gone.
CHORUS
Great minds against themselves conspire
And shun the cure they most desire.
[Cupids appear in the clouds o’re her tomb]
DIDO
Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy bosom let me rest,
More I would, but Death invades me;
Death is now a welcome guest.
When I am laid in earth,
May my wrongs create
No trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
CHORUS
With drooping wings you Cupids come,
To scatter roses on her tomb.
Soft and gentle as her heart
Keep here your watch, and never part.

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