"To the Right Honorable the Lord Charles Howard, Earle of
Notingham, Baron of Effingham, Knight of the Noble order of the
Garter, Lord High Admirall of England, Ireland, and Wales, &c.,
and one of her Majesties most honorable Privie Counsell."
As all that is known, with _certainty_, of the _origin_ of this work
consists in the title-page and the dedication, I shall make no apology
for quoting the latter at length:--
"Right Honorable,
"I have adventured to dedicate these few discordant tunes to be
censured by the ingenious disposition of your Lordship's Honorable
rare perfection, perswading my selfe, that these labours, composed
by me and others (as in the survey hereof, your Lordship may well
perceive), may not by any meanes passe, without the malignitie of
some malitious _Momus_, whose malice (being as toothsome as the
_adder's_ sting), couched in the progres of a wayfayring man's
passage, might make him retire though almost at his journeyes end.
Two speciall motives have imbouldened me (Right Honorable) in this
my proceeding. First, for that I consider, that as the body cannot
bee without the shadow, so _Homer_ (the Prince of Poets) may not
be without a Zoilist: The second and last is (the most forcible
motive), I know (not onely by report, but also by experiment) your
Lordship to bee not onely _Philomusus_, a lover of the _Muses_,
and of learning; but _Philomathes_, a personage always desirous
(though in all Arts sufficiently skilfull) to come to a more high
perfection or _Summum bonum_. I will not trouble your Lordship
with to to [_sic_] tedious circumstances, onely I humbly intreat
your Lordship (in the name of many) to patronage this work with no
lesse acceptance, then I with a willing and kinde hart dedicate
it. So shall I think the _initium_ of this worke not onely happely
begun, but to bee _finited_ with a more happie period.
"Your Honour's devoted in all dutie,
"THOMAS MORELY."
_The Triumphs of Oriana_ consists of twenty-five madrigals, set by the
most eminent musicians of the day, and edited (as the title-page and
dedication show) by Thomas Morley, a most "rare and cunning musician,"
and moreover an especial favourite with the reigning queen, in whose
honour the work is said to have been composed.
Sir John Hawkins, in his _History of Music_, vol. iii. p. 406., says the
"occasion" of the publication of _The Triumphs of Oriana_ was this:
"The Lord High Admiral, Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham, was
the only person, who, in the last illness of Elizabeth, could
prevail on her to go into and remain in her bed; and with a view
to alleviate her concern for the execution of the Earl of Essex,
he gave for a prize-subject to the poets and musicians of the
time, the beauty and accomplishments of his royal mistress, and by
a liberal reward, excited them severally to the composition of
this work. This supposition is favoured by the circumstance of its
being dedicated to the Earl, and the time of its publication,
which was the very year that Essex was beheaded. There is some
piece of secret history which we have yet to learn, that would
enable us to account for giving the Queen this romantic name;
probably she was fond of it. Camden relates that a Spanish
ambassador had libelled her by the name of _Amadis Oriana_, and
for his insolence was put under a guard."
Dr. Burney, in his sketch of the Life of Thomas Morley (_General History
of Music_, vol. iii. p. 101.), speaking of this work, says,
"As Italy gave the ton to the rest of Europe, but particularly to
England, in all the fine arts, during the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, it seems as if the idea of employing all the best
composers in the kingdom to set the songs in _The Triumphs of
Oriana_ to music, in honour of our virgin queen, had been
suggested to Morley and his patron, the Earl of Nottingham, by
Padre Giovenale, afterwards Bishop of Saluzzo, who employed
thirty-seven of the most renowned Italian composers to set
_Canzonetti_ in honour of the Virgin Mary, published under the
following title: _Tempio Armonico della Beatissima Virgine nostra
Signora, fabbricatole per opera del Reverendo P. Giovenale, A. P.
della Congregatione dell' Oratorio. Prima Parte, a tre voci,
Stampata in Roma da Nicola Mutii_, 1599, in 4to."
That by _Oriana_ is meant Queen Elizabeth, there can be but little
doubt. The appellation surely does not countenance the supposition that
there "must be some secret piece of history" in the case. Queen
Elizabeth, we all know, was a woman of inordinate vanity. Even at the
age of three score and ten she delighted in the names of _Cynthia_,
_Diana_, and such like; and _Oriana_, who was the heroine of the
well-known romance _Amadis de Gaul_, and a lovely and virtuous woman to
boot, could not fail to gratify her. How D'Espes, the Spanish
ambassador, could libel her under the double title of _Amadis Oriana_,
it is difficult to imagine; but so it was, according to Camden (anno
1569). "_Libellos famosos spargit, in quibus Reginæ existimationem
contumeliosè atterit sub nomine Amadis Orianæ._"
The pretty sounding tale related by Sir John Hawkins, that the work in
question was undertaken with a view to alleviate the grief of the queen
for the death of the Earl of Essex, and that prizes were given by the
Earl of Nottingham for the best composition for that purpose, is
entirely without foundation. Sir John Hawkins gives no authority for his
statement, and I believe it rests entirely upon conjecture.
_The Triumphs of Oriana_ (as we have seen) was printed at London in the
year 1601. In the same year was published at Antwerp a collection of
madrigals with the following title: _Il Trionfo di Dori, descritto da
diversa, et posti in Musica, da altretranti Autori a Sei Voci, In
Anversa, Appresso Pietro Phalesio_, 1601. From the date of these two
collections, it appears almost impossible that either should have been
an imitation of the other; and yet, by an extraordinary similarity in
point of _style, number, variety of composers, and burthen of the
poetry_, there can be but little doubt such was the case. The point will
be therefore to ascertain if either of these works was printed
previously to this date, 1601. I have no doubt that the _Orianas_ is the
first and only edition of the work. On the other hand, there is good
reason (from a variety of circumstances) to suppose that the copy of _Il
Trionfo di Dori_ with this date will turn out to be the _second_
edition.
The poetry (if such it can be called) of the _Orianas_ is a paraphrase
of _Il Trionfo di Dori_. The Italian burden or conclusion is always--
"Cantiam Ninfe e Pastori
Viva la bella Dori."
And the English version:
"Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
Long live faire Oriana."
Mr. Oliphant, in his collection of poetry entitled _La Musa
Madrigalesca_, is perhaps not far wrong when he says that the rhymes of
the _Orianas_ would "disgrace the veriest tyro in Grub Street;" but,
nevertheless, I have extracted a few specimens, premising that they are
the best I could find among the "twenty-five":--
1.
"Hence! stars, too dim of light;
You dazle but the sight;
You teach to grope by night;
See here the shepherd's star,
Excelling you so far.
Then Phoebus wiped his eies,
And Zephirus cleer'd the skies.
In sweet accented cries,
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
Long live fair Oriana."
2.
"All creatures now are merry-minded,
The shepherds' daughters playing,
The nimphes are fa-la-la-ing;
Yond bugle was well-winded.
At Oriana's presence each thing smileth,
The flowres themselves discover,
Birds over her do hover,
Musick the time beguileth.
See where she comes, with flow'ry garlands crowned;
Queene of all Queenes renowned:
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
Long live faire Oriana."
3.
"Thus _Bonny-bootes_ the birthday celebrated
Of hir his Lady dearest;
Fair Oriana, which to his hart was neerest.
The nymphs and shepherds feasted
With clowted creame, and to sing were requested.
Loe! here the fair, created
(Quoth he) the world's chiefe goddesse.
Sing then, for she is _Bonny-bootes'_ sweet mistres.
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
Long live faire Oriana."
4.
"Come blessed bird! and with thy sugred rellish,
Help our declining quire not to embellish;
For _Bonny-bootes_ that so aloft would fetch it,
Oh! he is dead, and none of us can reach it!
Then tune to us, sweet bird, thy shrill recorder,
And I, Elpin and Dorus,
For fault of better, will serve in the chorus.
Begin; and we will follow thee in order.
Then sang the wood-born minstrel of Diana,
Long live faire Oriana."
Now a question arises, who was the _Bonny-boots_ mentioned in the two
last-quoted madrigals?
Sir John Hawkins has the following hypothesis:
"Bonny-boots seems to be a nick-name for some famous singer, who,
because of his excellent voice, or for some other reason, had the
permission to call the queen his lady. Possibly the person meant
might be one Mr. Hale, of whom mention is made by Sir William
Segar, in his account of a solemn tilt, or exercise of arms, held
in the year 1590 before Queen Elizabeth, in the Tiltyard at
Westminster, with emblematical representations and music, in which
the above-mentioned Mr. Hale performed a part, by singing a song,
&c. Sir William Segar also says of this person, that he was her
majesty's servant, a gentleman in that art excellent, and for his
voice both commendable and admirable."--_Hist. of Music_, vol.
iii. p. 406.
Some gallant, high in favour with the Lady Oriana (Queen Elizabeth), is
evidently alluded to in these madrigals; but I cannot agree with Sir
John Hawkins, that a public singer like Mr. Hale would be permitted "to
call the queen his lady." The idea is too absurd for a moment's
consideration. Another conjecture is, that the individual designated
_Bonny-boots_ was the Earl of Essex; but I shall here quote two extracts
from a curious and rare work published by Thomas Morley in 1597, and
entitled "_Canzonets, or Little Short Aers to Five and Six Voices_:
Printed by Peter Short," &c.:--
1.
"Fly love, that art so sprightly,
To _Bonny-boots_ uprightly;
And when in Heav'n you meet him,
Say that I kindly greet him;
And that his Oriana,
True widow maid still followeth Diana."
2.
"Our _Bonny-boots_ could toot it, yea and foot it;
Say lusty lads, who now shall bonny-boot it?
Who but the jolly shepherd, bonny Dorus?
He now must lead the Morris dance before us."
The conjecture that _Bonny-boots_ was the Earl of Essex at once falls to
the ground; for he was not beheaded till 1601, and the title-page of
Morley's _Canzonets_ bears date 1597.
That some conceit relative to the Lady Oriana existed long before the
appearance of _The Triumphs_, is evident. Although the latter work was
not published till the year 1601, yet in 1597 the idea had been acted
upon by Nicholas Yonge in his _Second Book of Musica Transalpina_; for
therein is the well-known madrigal by Giovanni Croce from _Il Trionfo di
Dori_, adapted to the English words, "Hard by a crystal fountain," and
ending with the burden, "Long live fair Oriana." Dr. Burney (_Hist. of
Music_, vol. iii. p. 124.) says, that according to Hearne, a madrigal
beginning with these words used annually to be sung by the fellows of
the New College, Oxon, but he was unable to find it. Other madrigals in
praise of Oriana may be found in Bateson's _First Set of Madrigales_,
1604; Pilkington's _First Set of Madrigales_, 1613; and in Vautor's
_First Set of Songes_, 1619.
The publication of madrigals in praise of Queen Elizabeth, after her
death, may be easily accounted for. They were (it is evident upon
examination) originally composed with the others, but sent too late for
insertion in the set; after which their respective composers had no
opportunity of publishing them until the dates above given.
The conclusion then I arrive at is this, that _Il Trionfo di Dori_ was
printed in Italy (most probably at Rome) between the years 1588 and
1597; that N. Yonge procured a copy of it from thence (as may be
inferred from his Preface), and from it published Croce's madrigal. This
copy was most probably seen by Thomas Morley, and gave him the idea of
his _Triumphs of Oriana_. Morley was at this time an especial favourite
with the queen, who had recently rewarded him with "a faire gold
chaine." An offering then like the _Orianas_ could not fail of being
acceptable to the vanity of Elizabeth, who, even at the age of
sixty-eight, was extremely susceptible of flattery--especially when
directed towards her person. It doubtless had the desired effect, and
secured for Morley the patronage of the queen and the principal
nobility. The publication of this work is thus easily explained without
the intervention of any "secret piece of history."