NICHOLAS LANIER: Stay, silly heart and do not break PDF SCORE

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Composed by Nicholas Lanier (c.1588-1666)
. From Select Ayres and Dialogues, Playford, 1669.

Paul Agnew, tenor
Christopher Wilson, lute, theorbo

Many of Lanier songs continue the pastoral, idyllic themes of earlier composers like Campion and Ferrabosco. These works, characterized by simple melodies and diatonic progressions, were popular among amateur musicians and demonstrate Lanier’s versatility in composing both accessible and sophisticated music.

Spink notes that, unlike Henry Lawes, Lanier didn’t seem to connect with the themes of Cavalier verse, which he rarely set to music, and only in its most conventional form. Instead, he was drawn to Elizabethan poets like Campion, setting verses such as  “Thou art not fair for all thy red and white” and “Fire, lo here I burn.” In writing tunes for this type of verse, Lanier was fairly successful.

In the wistful and delicate “Stay, silly heart,” the lightness of the verse excuses the lack of literary sophistication, as the melody compensates for it, giving the words and music a nearly ballad-like feel.

Reference:
Spink, I. (1986). English Song. London: Batsford.