"That can sing both high and low..."
History
When I first heard Matthew Harris’s adaptations of Shakespeare songs momentarily on Radio 3 I did that thing of sitting by the speaker with a pad of paper, waiting to get the composer’s name (and then looking it up afterwards, because they didn’t say it.) I’ve been in love with them ever since. This is a version of what, to me, is the definitive version of this song from Twelfth Night. I’ll be honest, part of the reason why I wanted to do it was to see if I could sing every single part of the choir myself. I can’t tell you how tempted I was to apply pitch correction in post-production. Luckily, that would have taken ages.
You can hear Matthew’s music here: matthewharrismusic.com
Lyrics
O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O stay and hear! your true-love’s coming That can sing both high and low; Trip no further, pretty sweeting, Journeys end in lovers’ meeting— Every wise man’s son doth know. What is love? ’tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; What’s to come is still unsure: In delay there lies no plenty,— Then come kiss me, Sweet-and-twenty, Youth’s a stuff will not endure.Credits & Copyright
Words by William Shakespeare (Twelfth Night). Music by Matthew Harris (matthewharrismusic.com). Recorded and released in 2013 by James Bell. Remastered in January 2017. (P) House of Lyra. All rights reserved.