As ever I saw (Anonymous)
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- (Posted 2020-09-23) CPDL #60666:
- Editors: Mick Swithinbank and Jonathan Goodliffe (submitted 2020-09-23). Score information: A4, 7 pages, 291 kB Copyright: CPDL
- Edition notes:
General Information
Title: As ever I saw
Composer: Anonymous
Lyricist: Anonymous
Number of voices: 4vv Voicing: SATB
Genre: Secular, Folksong
Language: English
Instruments: A cappella
First published: Not known
Description: The Soprano voice is preserved in British Library Harleian MS 7578. Mick Swithinbank has reconstructed the other 3 voices. The same text was also set to music by Peter Warlock.
External websites:
Original text and translations
Text in Early Modern English
My lady is a prety on, a prety, prety, prety on
My lady is a prety on, as ever I saw.
She is gentyll and also wysse
Of all other she berith the price
that ever I saw.
To here hir syng, to se her dance
she wyll the best herself advance
that ever I saw.
To se her fyngers that be so small,
In my consait she passeth all
that euer I saw.
Nature in her hath wonderly wroght,
Crist never sych a nother bowght
that ever I saw.
I haue sene many that have bowty.
Yet is ther non like to my lady,
that euer I saw.
therefor I dare this boldly say,
I shall have the best and farest may.*
that ever I saw.
My lady is a prety on, etc.
- "may" = “mate"