Lay a garland

"Lay a garland" is a popular English madrigal composition in E♭ major. It was written by Robert Lucas de Pearsall on 4 June 1840 and is scored for two sopranos, two altos, two tenors and two basses or as it is more commonly written SSAATTBB. The piece is based on a poem from the play a The Maid's Tragedy written in 1608-11. It has been recorded by many choirs. In 1854, Pearsall produced a contrafactum of Lay a Garland, to the Latin text Tu es Petrus, dedicating it to the first bishop of St Gallen, John Peter. This is more often performed by choirs in a liturgical setting, as the original words for the music are more appropriate to a secular occasion.

Words

The text is taken from the song in Beaumont and Fletcher's play The Maid's Tragedy Act II, Scene I. The song is sung by Aspasia where her betrothed is forced into a marriage of convenience to the king's mistress. The words original words are as follows:

Lay a garland on my hearse
of the dismal yew.
Maidens, willow branches wear,
say I died true.
My love was false, but I was firm
from my hour of birth.
Upon my buried body lie
lightly, gentle earth.

However Pearsall's music is set to these adapted words changed from first to third person

Lay a garland on her hearse
of dismal yew.
Maidens, willow branches wear,
say she died true.
Her love was false, but she was firm
Upon her buried body lie
lightly, thou gentle earth.

I^ : These words were present in the original poem by Beaumont and Fletcher but omitted in the composition

II^ : Word was added to the into the composition.