[New Rendition] Antoine Boësset: Divine Amarillis (1632)

Divine Amarillis

0:06 Instrumental arrrangement (flute, chitarrone, viol)
0:49 Original madrigal (tenor, chitarrone, viol)

Antoine Boësset, master of music at the French court of King Louis XIII, expanded the newly formed genre of courtly lute songs following in the footsteps of his father-in-law and prior master of the king's music, Pierre Guedron, as well as well as John Dowland and Giulio Caccini of earlier decades. This song takes after the Amaryllis character of Greek mythology frequently invoked by the late Renaissance masters (e.g. "Though Amaryllis dance in green" by William Byrd and "Amarilli mia bella" by Giulio Caccini). In this latest rendition, I have rebalanced the voices with the chitarrone, added natural dynamics, enhanced the reverb & echo and created a more legato effect.

I used a MIDI file compiled by Sarge Gerbode. It can be found on his fantastic website lutemusic.org .

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Text:

Divine Amarillis (Divine Amaryllis)
Ton teint brun comme il est fait honte a tous les lys (Your looks bring shame to all the lilies)
Ta grace est admirable: (Your grace is admirable)
Mais ta vertu qui passe ta beauté. (But your virtue goes beyond your beauty)
Dessous le ciel n'a rien de comparable (There is nothing to compare under heaven)
Que ma fidelité. (that is my loyalty)

Tes attraits sont pareils, (Your attractions are the same)
Tes yeux que justement on nomme des soleils, (Your eyes which justly we call suns)
Ont un ésclat semblable (have a similar shine)
Mais ta vertu qui passe ta beauté, (But your virtue which surpasses your beauty)
Dessous le ciel n'a rien de comparable (Under the heavens, has no comparison)
Que ma fidelité. (that is my loyalty)

Bel astre des mortelz! (Beautiful star of the mortals)
Le ciel n'est point jaloux de te voir des autelz: (Heaven is not jealous to see you from the altar)
N'est tu pas adorable? (Are you not adorable?)
Et ta vertu qui passe ta beauté, (And the virtue that surpasses your beauty)
Void elle rien qui luy soit comparable (Nothing to her is comparable)
Que ma fidelité. (that is my loyalty)
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Photos:

1. Boy playing flute, Judith Leyster, c1632
2. Score of the "Divine Amarillis," (with the lute tablature beneath the lyrics), 14th Book of Airs de cour, Antoine Boësset, Paris, 1632
3. Lady playing lute, Gaspar de Crayer, c1630
4. Cover page of Airs de cour, 1632
5. Concert, Gerrit van Honthorst, 1624
6. Louis XIII, King of France and patron of Antoine Boësset, Anon. French, c1625

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