Songs of Farewell
Philip Collin was Organ Scholar of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He then took a post-graduate diploma in piano accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied with John York. Since then he has worked extensively as a vocal coach, repetiteur, adjudicator, organist and conductor, and performed as a song accompanist throughout the UK and Europe.
In 2001 he recorded a CD with soprano Sally Bradshaw entitled The Soul of Orpheus, a collection of songs about or inspired by Greek mythology. In 2006 he twice performed the complete works for voice and piano by Gerald Finzi with tenor Peter Wilman and baritone Howard Wong to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Finzi’s death as part of the Canterbury Finzi Festival and the Nottingham Finzi Festival, the latter being an event which he co-directed. He has written for Piano Magazine
and has given public talks on choral music, piano music and songs. He has given first performances of a number of songs, most notably by Ian Venables and Elaine Hugh-Jones and some unpublished songs by Ivor Gurney. He played the organ on the Academy Award-winning soundtrack to Gravity and piano on the 2014 film, Fury.
St Peter’s Consort
Sopranos: Kath Beal, Jill Benn, Katie Collin, Janette Fraser, Holly Norris, Julie Stephenson, Kay Yates
Altos: Heather Blundell, Rosemary Buck, Roz Cochrane, Joyce Sandham
Tenors: Michael Benn, Colin Powell
Basses: Charles Beal, Nigel Drayson, Richard Gadsby, Adrian Stephenson
Programme
Three choruses from Elijah Felix Mendelssohn
(1809-47)
He watching over Israel
Yet doth the Lord see it not
For He shall give his angels charge over thee
Kyrie and Gloria from Messe Paul Hindemith
(1895-1963)
Ballade (Op.46) Samuel Barber
(Philip Collin - piano) (1910-81)
Three madrigals from Luca Marenzio
Il Nono libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1553-99)
Chiaro segno Amor pose
Amor, i'hò molti
Così nel mio parlar voglio esser aspro
INTERVAL
Chorale Preludes for organ, Op. 122 Johannes Brahms
(Philip Collin - organ) (1833-97)
Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele
O wie selig seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen
O Gotten, du frommer Gotten
Songs of Farewell Charles H H Parry
(1848-1918)
My soul, there is a Country
I know my soul hath power
Never weather-beaten sail
There is an old belief
At the round earth’s imagined corners
Lord, let me know mine end
He watching over Israel
He watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps.
Shouldst thou, walking in grief, languish, He will quicken thee. (Psalms 121:4, 138:7)
Yet doth the Lord see it not
Yet doth the Lord see it not; He mocketh at us;
His curse hath fallen down upon us,
His wrath will pursue us, till He destroy us!
For He, the Lord our God, He is a jealous God;
And he visiteth all the fathers’ sins on the children
To the third and the fourth generation of them that hate Him.
His mercies on thousands fall,
Fall on all them that love Him,
And keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 28:15, 22; Exodus 20:5,6)
For He shall give his angels charge over thee
For He shall give his angels charge over thee,
That they shall protect thee in all the ways thou goest;
That their hands shall uphold and guide thee,
Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:11, 12)
Kyrie
Kyrie eleison, Lord have mercy,
Christe eleison, Christ have mercy,
Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy.
Gloria
Gloria in excelsis Deo Glory be to God on high
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. And in earth peace, goodwill towards men,
Laudamus te, benedicimus te, We praise thee, we bless thee,
adoramus te, glorificamus te, we worship thee, we glorify thee,
gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam, we give thanks to thee, for thy great glory
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, O Lord God, heavenly King,
Deus Pater omnípotens. God the Father Almighty.
Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesu Christ;
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
qui tollis peccata mundi, that takest away the sins of the world,
miserere nobis; have mercy upon us.
qui tollis peccata mundi, Thou that takest away the sins of the world,
suscipe deprecationem nostram. receive our prayer.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father,
miserere nobis. have mercy upon us.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord;
tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, thou only, O Christ,
cum Sancto Spiritu: with the Holy Ghost, art most high
in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Chiaro segno Amor pose
Chiaro segno Amor pose alle mie rime, Love set a clear theme for my rhyme: Dentro à begli occhi, et hor l’ha posto in pianto, those lovely eyes, but now my weeping, Con dolor rimembrando il tempo lieto, remembering with grief times that were happy: Ond’ io vò col pensier cangiando stile, so that I change my thoughts and my style, Et ripregando te, pallida Morte, and pray to you again, pallid Death, Che mi sottragghi à sì penose notti. to rescue me from such painful nights.
(Petrarca, Canzoniere – Sestina 332, V (25 – 30))
Amor, i hò molti
Amor i hò molti et molti anni pianto, Love, I’ve had many years, and much weeping Mio grave danno in doloroso stile, about my grave ills in the saddest style, Ne da te spero mai men fere notti, nor from you do I ever hope for kinder nights: Et però mi son mosso so à pregar morte, and so I’m moved to pray to Death Che mi tolga di qui per far mi lieto, to take me from here, and make me happy, Ov' è colei ch'i canto et piango in rime. to where she is, whom I sing and weep in rhyme. (Petrarca, Canzoniere – Sestina 332, X (55 – 60))
Cosi nel mio parlar voglio esser aspro
Così nel mio parlar voglio esser aspro, I wish my speech to be as harsh
Com’ è ne gli atti questa bella pietra, as this fair stone is in her actions, La qual' ogn' hor impetra, she who is forever growing
Maggior durezza e più natura cruda, harder and crueller in nature,
E veste sua persona d’un diaspro who clothes herself all in adamant
Tal, che per lui, e perch’ ella s’arretra, so that by it, or her retreat,
Non esce di faretra never an arrow leaves the bow
Saetta, che già mai la colga ignuda: that shall find her undefended:
Et ella ancide, e non val c'huom si chiuda, she kills, there’s no use in hiding,
Né si dilunghi da i colpi mortali, or fleeing from the mortal blow,
Che, come havesser ali, that, as if its flight was winged, Giungono altrui e spezzan ciascun’ arme, finds all and shatters every armour; Perch’io non sò da lei né posso aitarme. leaving no defence for me to make.
(Dante, The Rime Petrose)
Songs of Farewell
My Soul, there is a Country far beyond the stars,
where stands a wingèd Sentry all skilful in the wars:
there, above noise, and danger sweet peace sits crowned with smiles,
and one, born in a Manger commands the Beauteous files,
He is thy gracious friend, and (O my soul awake!)
did in pure love descend to die here for thy sake.
If thou canst get but thither, there grows the flow’r of peace,
the Rose that cannot wither, thy fortress and thy ease;
leave then thy foolish ranges; for none can thee secure,
but one who never changes thy God, thy life, thy cure. (Henry Vaughan (1622 - 1695))
I know my soul hath power to know all things,
Yet she is blind and ignorant in all:
I know I'm one of Nature's little kings,
Yet to the least and vilest things am thrall.
I know my life's a pain and but a span;
I know my sense is mock'd in ev'rything;
And, to conclude, I know myself a Man,
Which is a proud and yet a wretched thing. (John Davies (1569 - 1626))
Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore,
Never tired pilgrim's limbs affected slumber more,
Than my wearied sprite now longs to fly out of my troubled breast:
O come quickly, sweetest Lord, and take my soul to rest.
Ever blooming are the joys of Heaven's high Paradise,
cold age deafs not there our ears nor vapour dims our eyes:
Glory there the sun outshines; whose beams the blessed only see:
O come quickly, glorious Lord, and raise my sprite to thee! (Thomas Campion (1567 - 1620))
There is an old belief, that on some solemn shore,
Beyond the sphere of grief dear friends shall meet once more.
Beyond the sphere of Time and Sin and Fate's control,
Serene in changeless prime of body and of soul.
That creed I fain would keep, that hope I'll ne'er forgo;
Eternal be the sleep, if not to waken so. (John Gibson Lockhart (1794 - 1854))
At the round earth's imagin'd corners, blow
Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise
From death, you numberless infinities
Of souls, and to your scatter'd bodies go;
All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow,
All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,
Despair, law, chance hath slain, and you whose eyes
Shall behold God and never taste death's woe.
But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space,
For if above all these my sins abound,
'Tis late to ask abundance of thy grace
When we are there; here on this lowly ground
Teach me how to repent; for that's as good
As if thou'hadst seal'd my pardon with thy blood. (John Donne (1572 - 1631))
Lord, let me know mine end and the number of my days,
that I may be certified how long I have to live.
Thou hast made my days as it were a span long;
and mine age is as nothing in respect of Thee,
and verily, ev'ry man living is altogether vanity,
For man walketh in a vain shadow,
and disquieteth himself in vain,
he heapeth up riches and cannot tell who shall gather them.
And now, Lord, what is my hope?
Truly my hope is even in Thee.
Deliver me from all mine offences
and make me not a rebuke to the foolish.
I became dumb and opened not my mouth
for it was Thy doing.
Take Thy plague away from me,
I am even consumed by means of Thy heavy hand.
When Thou with rebukes does chasten man for sin
thou makest his beauty to consume away
like as it were a moth fretting a garment;
ev'ry man therefore is but vanity.
Hear my pray'r, O Lord
and with Thy ears consider my calling,
hold not Thy peace at my tears!
For I am a stranger with Thee and a sojourner
as all my fathers were.
O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength before I go hence
and be no more seen. (Psalm 39)
