The Bloom Consort Repertoire

Click on the images below to hear snippets from our CD, In Full Bloom

ALL CREATURES NOW

SAY LOVE

AGNUS DEI

FIRE FIRE MY HEART

In Full Bloom - Madrigals, Motets and Lute Songs
THE BLOOM CONSORT - Matona Music No. 17642

Madrigals
1. All Creatures Now (1:52)
John Bennett (c. 1575-after 1614)

All creatures now are merry, merry minded.
The shepherd’s daughters playing,
The nymphs are fa la la-ing,
Yond bugle was well winded,
At Oriana’s presence each thing smileth.
The flowers themselves discover;
Birds over her do hover;
Music the time beguileth.
See where she comes,
With flowery garlands crowned,
Queen of all queens renowned.
Then sang the shepherds
and nymphs of Diana:
Long live fair Oriana

2. Come Away, Sweet Love (1:55)
Thomas Greaves (fl. 1604)

Come away sweet love and play thee
Lest grief and care betray thee,
Fa la la la
Leave off this sad lamenting
And take thy heart’s contenting
The nymphs to sport invite thee
And running in and out delights thee
Fa la la la

3. This Sweet and Merry Month (3:39)
William Byrd (1543-1623)

This sweet and merry merry month of May
While Nature wantons in her Prime
And birds do sing,
and beasts do play,
For pleasure of the joyful time.
I choose the first for holiday,
and greet Eliza with a rhyme:
O beauteous Queen of second Troy
Take well in worth a simple toy.

4. Come Gentle Swains (1:34)
Michael Cavendish (c. 1565-1628)

Come gentle swains, and shepherds’
dainty daughters,
Adorned with courtesy and comely duties.
Come sing and joy
and grace with lovely laughters
The birthday of the beautiest of beauties.
Then sang the shepherds
and nymphs of Diana:
Long live fair Oriana.


5. Dainty Fine Bird (1:56)
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

Dainty fine bird, that art encaged there,
Alas, alas how like
thine and my fortunes are.
Both prisoners be;
And both singing, thus,
Strive to please her that hath imprisoned us.
Only thus we differ, thou and I,
Thou liv’st singing,
But I sing and die.

6. Quick, Quick, Away, Dispatch / No Haste But Good (3:28)
Michael East (c. 1580-c.1648)

Quick, quick, quick, away, dispatch!
Be nimble, nimble, quick, away!
Bells are now a-ringing
Maids are singing,
The priest for you doth stay.
An holiday, a happy day,
A merry, merry day!
The last of nothing,
First of something.
Be nimble, nimble, quick, away!
Quick, quick, away, away!
No haste but good,
Yet stay! a while,
Of free I bound must be
But bound to him, to him
That’s bound to me;
Such bondage makes me free.
An holiday, a happy day,
A merry, merry day!
The last of nothing,
First of something.
With joy I come, I come away,
I come, I come away.

7. Hark All Ye Lovely Saints (3:23)
Thomas Weelkes (c. 1575-1623)

Hark all ye lovely saints above,
Diana hath agreed with Love,
His fiery weapon to remove,
Fa la la la
Do you not see how they agree?
Then cease, fair ladies;
Why weep ye?
Fa la la la
See, see your mistress bids you cease,
And welcome Love with love’s increase;
Diana hath procured your peace.
Fa la la la
Cupid hath sworn His bow forlorn
To break and burn,
Ere ladies mourn.
Fa la la la

8. Though Amaryllis Dance (2:11)
William Byrd (1543-1623)

Though Amaryllis dance in green
Like fairy queen;
And sing full clear
Corinna can, with smiling cheer.
Yet since their eyes make heart so sore,
Heigh ho, ‘chill [I shall] love no more.
Love ye who list, I force him not,
Sith, God it wot [knows]
The more I wail,
The less my sighs and tears prevail.
What shall I do but say therefore,
Heigh ho, ‘chill love no more.rigals

9. Fire, Fire, My Heart! (2:21)
Thomas Morley (1558-1603)

Fire, fire! my heart!
Fa la la la
O help! O help! Alas! O help!
Ay me! I sit and cry me,
And call for help, alas,
But none comes nigh me!
Fa la la la

10. Flora Gave Me Fairest Flowers (2:08)
John Wilbye (1574-1638)

Flora gave me fairest flowers,
None so fair in Flora’s treasure.
These I placed on Phyllis’ bowers,
She was pleased, and she my pleasure.
Smiling meadows seem to say:
Come ye wantons, here to play.

11. See, See the Shepherds’ Queen (2:24)
Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)

See, see the shepherds’ queen,
Fair Phyllis all in green,
Fa la la la
The shepherds home her bringing
With piping and with singing
Fa la la la
Then dance we on a row,
And chant it as we go.
Fa la la la

12. Adieu, Ye City-Prisoning Towers (2:22)
Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)

Adieu, adieu, ye city-prisoning towers;
Better are the country bowers,
Winter is gone, the trees are springing;
Birds on every hedge sit singing.
Hark, how they chirp,
Come, love, delay not,
Come, come, sweet love,
O come and stay not.

13. Sweet Honey-Sucking Bees / Yet, Sweet, Take Heed (4:55)
John Wilbye (1574-1638)

Sweet honey-sucking bees,
Why do you still
Surfeit on roses, pinks and violets,
As if the choicest nectar lay in them
Wherewith you store your curious cabinets?
Ah, make your flight to Melisuavia’s lips;
There may you revel in ambrosian cheer,
Where smiling roses and sweet lilies sit,
Keeping their Springtide graces all the year.
Yet, sweet, take heed,
All sweets are hard to get.
Sting not her soft lips,
O beware of that,
For if one flaming dart come from her eye,
Was never dart so sharp,
Ah, then you die, you die.

14. As Vesta Was (3:25)
Thomas Weelkes (c. 1575-1623)

As Vesta was from Latmos hill descending,
She spied a maiden Queen
the same ascending,
Attended on by all the shepherds’ swain.
To whom Diana’s darlings
came running down a-main,
First two by two,
then three by three together,
Leaving their goddess,
all alone, hasted thither;
And mingling with the shepherds
of her train,
With mirthful tunes her presence entertain.
Then sang the shepherds
and nymphs of Diana:
Long live fair Oriana.

15. Come, Sirrah Jack, Ho! (1:14)
Thomas Weelkes (c. 1575-1623)

Come, sirrah Jack, ho!
Fill some tobacco,
Bring a wire And some fire!
Haste, haste away, Quick I say!
Do not stay! Shun delay!
For I drank none good today.
I swear that this tobacco
Tis perfect Trinidado.
By the very very Mass
Never never never was
Better gear than is here.
By the rood, for the blood,
It is very very good.
Fill the pipe once more,
My brains dance Trench-more.
It is heady,
I am giddy.
My head and brains,
Back and reins,
Joints and veins
From all pains
It doth well purge and make clean.
Then those that do condemn it,
Or such as not commend it,
Never were so wise to learn
Good tobacco to discern;
Let them go
Pluck a crow,
And not know
As I do
The sweet of Trinidado.

Motets

16. Ave Verum Corpus (3:47)
William Byrd (1543-1623)

Ave verum Corpus,
natum de Maria Virgine:
Vere passum,
immolatum in cruce pro homine:
Cujus latus perforatum,
unda fluxit sanguine:
Esto nobis praegustatum in mortis examine.
O dulcis, O pie, O Jesu Fili Mariae,
miserere mei. Amen.

17. Almighty and Everlasting God (2:30)
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

Almighty and Everlasting God
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)
Almighty and everlasting God,
mercifully look upon our infirmities,
and in all our dangers and necessities
stretch forth Thy right hand
to help and defend us;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

18. Agnus Dei (2:01)
Thomas Morley (1558-1603)

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
miserere nostri.

19. O Magnum Mysterium (2:44)
Thomás Luis de Victoria (1549-1611)

O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderunt Dominum natum,
jacentem in praesepio.
O beata Virgo,
cujus viscera meruerunt portare
Dominum Jesum Christum.
Alleluia.

20. O Lord, Increase My Faith (1:43)
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

O Lord, increase my faith,
strengthen me and confirm me
in Thy true faith;
endue me with wisdom,
charity, chastity, and patience;
in all my adversity,
teach me to say Amen.

21. Ave Maria (5:07)
Josquin Des Prez (c. 1440-1521)

Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus tecum, Virgo serena.
Ave coelorum Domina,
Maria plena gratia,
Coelestia, terrestria,
Mundum replens laetitia.
Ave cujus nativitas
Nostra fuit solemnitas
Ut lucifer lux oriens,
Verum solem praeveniens.
Ave pia humilitas,
Sine viro foecunditas,
Cujus annunciatio
Nostra fuit salvatio.
Ave vera virginitas,
Immaculata castitas,
Cujus purificatio
Nostra fuit purgatio.
Ave praeclara omnibus
Angelicus virtutibus,
Cujus fuit assumptio
Nostra glorificatio.
O Mater Dei,
Momento mei. Amen.

Lute Songs

22. Say, Love (1:43)
John Dowland (1563-1626)

Say, Love, if ever thou didst find
A woman with a constant mind?
None but one.
And what should that rare mirror be?
Some goddess or some queen is she;
She, she, she, and only she,
She only queen of love and beauty.
But could thy fiery poison’d dart
At no time touch her spotless heart,
Nor come near?
She is not subject to Love’s bow;
Her eye commands, her heart saith no,
No, no, no, and only no;
One no another still doth follow.
To her then yield thy shafts and bow,
That can command affections so:
Love is free;
So are her thoughts that vanquish thee.
There is no queen of love but she,
She, she, she, and only she,
She only queen of love and beauty.

23. The Silver Swan (1:51)
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

The silver swan, who living had no note,
When death approach’d
unlocked her silent throat;
Leaning her breast upon the reedy shore,
Thus sang her first and last
and sang no more.
Farewell, all joys; O death,
come close mine eyes;
More geese than swans now live,
more fools than wise.

Dwayne J. Heisler, Director

Vocalists

Soprano: Kristine Allen, Anne Stevenson Smith

Mezzo Soprano:. Chris Mudge, Nan Eckardt

Alto: Jayne Burt, Karen Lombardi Ingle

Tenor: Lee Geizentanner, Gene Schneyer

Bass: Fuller Runyan, Dwayne J. Heisler

Engineered and Mixed by Rusty Richards
Recorded at Susquehanna Sound
and Forge Recording Studios.
Mixed at Blue Angel Studio.

Cover Design: Worthington Levy Creative