Rubies and pearls (Alfonso Ferrabosco I)

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• (Posted 2025-06-23)  CPDL #85576:     

Editor: Mick Swithinbank (submitted 2025-06-23).   Score information: A4, 3 pages, 204 kB   Copyright: CPDL

Edition notes: The English version published in Musica Transalpina is difficult to sing because in some places the stresses of the text are completely at odds with those of the music. This prompted a version with a revised text for performance in June 2025, which seeks to remedy that problem while also taking the opportunity to eliminate the worst linguistic infelicities in the authentic text.

• (Posted 2017-03-01)  CPDL #43340:         

Editor: James Gibb (submitted 2017-03-01).   Score information: A4, 4 pages, 61 kB   Copyright: CPDL

Edition notes: Reformatting of #31884, with minor adjustments to underlay. Musica ficta are editorial.

• (Posted 2014-05-07)  CPDL #31884:           

Editor: Brian Russell (submitted 2014-05-07).   Score information: Letter, 4 pages, 69 kB   Copyright: CPDL

Edition notes:

General Information

Title: Rubies and pearls
Composer: Alfonso Ferrabosco I
Lyricist:

Number of voices: 5vv   Voicing: SSATB
Genre: Secular, Madrigal

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

First published: 1587 in Il primo libro de madrigali a cinque, no. 10
    2nd published: 1588 in Musica Transalpina (ed. Nicholas Yonge) – in English translation, Edition 1, no. 35
Description: 

Original text and translations

English text

Rubies and pearls and treasure, Kingdom's renown and glory,
Please the delightful mind and cheer the sorry.
But much the greater measure of true delight he gaineth
That for the prize of love strives and obtaineth.

Revised version by Mick Swithinbank for performance in June 2025:
Rubies and pearls and treasure,
renown that great deeds can impart
please the untroubled mind
and cheer the doleful heart.
But much the greater measure
of true delight he gaineth
that desireth love and it obtaineth.

Note: the English version published in Musica Transalpina is difficult to sing because in some places the stresses of the text are completely at odds with those of the music. This prompted the above revised version, which seeks to remedy that problem while also taking the opportunity to eliminate the worst linguistic infelicities in the authentic text.