Let’s head over to Elizabethan England and Robert Herrick’s thing for a woman named Julia. To be fair, whoever that Julia may be is anyone’s guess. Roger Quilter took some of these Julia poems from Herrick’s collection The Hesperides, his magnus opus. Hesperides consists of around 1,200 poems on various themes like nature and love. Quilter usually grouped songs according to what he deemed best to fit, mixing poets in a set usually. This song cycle —his only one— is aptly titled To Julia. Quilter never exactly fancied anyone by the name of Julia, nor did he exactly fancy women at all as he was a closeted homosexual. The set is dedicated to Gervase Elwes. Two versions of the cycle exist: one for voice and piano, and one for voice and piano quintet. An orchestral version also exists by Malcolm Sargent.
It is organized as follows:
Prelude
The Bracelet
The Maiden Blush
To Daisies
The Night Piece
Julia’s Hair
Interlude
Chery Ripe
Quilter’s choice for the Julia poems outlines different expressions and thoughts for an ideal person or even romanticizes nature through the lenses of a woman. We are thankful enough that Quilter did not get the more sensual Julia poems lest things get REALLY out of hand. According to the notes of Mark Stone and Stephen Barlow’s complete recordings of the composer’s songs. Julia is the name of Herrick’s mother —I kind of want to call Sigmund Freud about this. Was Herrick’s ideal woman found in the likeliness of his mother? We may not exactly know. For example, the third song likens Julia’s blushed cheeks to the innocence of nature; for the fourth song, Julia is shown for her simplicity in love. In the music side of things, the light style of Quilter blends so well with the choices of poems, ever being so pastoral and passionate whenever needed.
For your personal enjoyment, here are the Julia poems of the set:
The Bracelet Why I tie about thy wrist, Julia, this my silken twist? For what other reason is't, but to show thee how, in part, thou my pretty captive art? But thy bondslave is my heart 'Tis but silk that bindeth thee, knap the thread and thou art free: but 'tis otherwise with me; I am bound, and fast bound, so that from thee I cannot go; if I could, I would not so. The Maiden Blush So look the mornings when the sun paints them with fresh vermilion: so cherries blush, and Kathern pears, and apricocks in youthful years; so corals look more lovely red, and rubies lately polished: So purest diaper doth shine, stain'd by the beams of claret wine: as Julia looks when she doth dress her either cheek with bashfulness. To Daisies Shut not so soon; the dull-eyed night has not as yet begun to make a seizure on the light, or to seal up the sun. No marigolds yet closed are; no shadows great appear; nor doth the early shepherds' star shine like a spangle here. Stay but till my Julia close her life-begetting eye, and let the whole world then dispose itself to live or die. The Night Piece Her eyes the glow-worm lend thee, the shooting stars attend thee; and the elves also, whose little eyes glow like the sparks of fire, befriend thee. No Will-o'th'-Wisp mislight thee; nor snake, or slow-worm bite thee: but on, on thy way not making a stay, since ghost there's none to affright thee. Let not the dark thee cumber: what though the moon does slumber? the stars of the night will lend thee their light, like tapers clear without number. Then Julia let me woo thee, Thus, thus to come unto me; and when I shall meet thy silv'ry feet, my soul I'll pour into thee. Julia's Hair Dew sat on Julia's hair and spangled too, like leaves that laden are with trembling dew: or glittered to my sight, as when the beams have their reflected light danc'd by the streams. Cherry Ripe Cherry-ripe, ripe, ripe, I cry, full and fair ones; come and buy. If so be you ask me where they do grow, I answer: There, where my Julia's lips do smile; Where my Julia's lips do smile. there's the land, or cherry-isle, whose plantations fully show all the year where cherries grow.
Here is David Rivera Bozón, tenor, singing the whole set with Alyssa Wang, Violin I; Pétur Ulfarsson, Violin II; Carlos Parra, Viola; Jason A. Coleman, Violoncello; Brian Moll, piano for his graduate recital: