Dear Kenneth, I have knocked together something pretty quickly (see below), which I hope will help. My French isn't brilliant, so there may be something I've slipped up on. I wouldn't like to think it's a final version, and hope that someone else can check it through and make any necessary emendations. I've put the French back to how it was in the original. It's strange that "�" in "Qui ne la sert � le coeur insensible" has an accent - it wouldn't have one in modern French.
By the way, for anyone interested, the song comes from �tienne Moulini�'s _Airs de Cour avec la Tablature de Luth, Cinquiesme Livre_ (Paris, 1635). A facsimile has been published by La Soci�t� de Musicologie de Languedoc, 2 Place de la R�volution, BP 4049, 3425 B�ziers, France. I bought my copy many years ago, so I don't know if it is still available. One interesting feature of the song is that the 7th course of the lute has to be tuned up a semitone to F# (assuming a lute in g'): "Il faut accorder la septiesme au B de la quatriesme." This song is like so many other airs de cour in that it has a transposing voice part. The singer's first note is c", which implies a lute in f'. In practice the lute stays in g', and the singer transposes up a tone to match the pitch of the lute. As with all these songs where the singer transposes to the pitch of the lute, the singer's first note is given in lute terms, so that the singer and lutenist may know what the pitch relationship is. I find it interesting that the singer's first note is given as ___ _a_ ___ ___ ___ ___ and not _h_ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ In other words, the song is intended primarily for a man - a tenor singing the song an octave lower than written (or to be precise in this case, allowing for the transposition of a tone, a seventh lower than written). Best wishes, Stewart. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2004 3:51 AM Subject: translation of Moulinie air de cour needed > Please, if anyone can help translate, I need this song text in English: Cessez amants de servir Angelique, Lovers, stop serving Angelica, Amarillis se peut dire l'unique, Amaryllis may be said to be the only one, A qui la Cour doit offrir des voeux. To whom the Court must offer vows. Tous les plus grands appas d'Aminthe, et de Silvie, All the greatest charms of Amintas and Sylvia, Ne valent pas un des cheveux Are not worth one of the hairs De celle qui tient ma vie. Of she who holds my life. Amarillis est un ange visible: Amaryllis is a visible angel: Qui ne la sert � le coeur insensible Whoever does not serve her has a heart insensitive A la douceur des plaisirs d'amour To the sweetness of love's pleasures. Les divines clairtez que sa beaut� nous montre, The divine radiences which her beauty reveals to us, Font que le grand flambeau du jour Make the great flame of day [literally "torch", i.e. the sun] Est honteux de leur rencontre. Ashamed to meet them. > With grateful thanks in advance, > > Kenneth Be > Cleveland, Ohio
