English Beauty (William Spark)

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• (Posted 2023-12-11)  CPDL #78060:     

Editor: David Anderson (submitted 2023-12-11).   Score information: Letter, 12 pages, 622 kB   Copyright: Personal

Edition notes:

General Information

Title: English Beauty
Composer: William Spark
Lyricist: John Hughes (poet)
Number of voices: 4vv   Voicing: SATB
Genre: Secular, Partsong

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

First published: 1890 F. Pitman
Description: 

Original text and translations

English text

CANTATA I
ON ENGLISH BEAUTY

When Beauty’s goddess from the ocean sprung,
Ascending, o’er the waves, she cast a smile
On fair Britannia’s happy isle,
And rais’d her tuneful voice, and thus she sung:

“Hail, Britannia! hail to thee,
Fairest island of the sea!
Thou my favourite land shalt be.
Cyprus, too, shall own my sway,
And dedicate to me its groves;
Yet Venus and her train of Loves
Will with happier Britain stay.
Hail, Britannia! hail to thee,
Fairest island of the sea!
Thou my favourite land shalt be.”

Britannia heard the notes diffusing wide,
And saw the pow’r whom gods and men adore
Approaching nearer with the tide,
And in a rapture loudly cry’d,
“O, welcome! welcome to my shore!”

“Lovely Isle! So richly blest!
Beauty’s palm is thine confest.
Thy daughters all the world outshine,
Nor Venus’ self is so divine.
Lovely Isle! so richly blest!
Beauty’s palm is thine confest.”