Deux Chansons de la Belle Cordiere (SATB a cappella)

Package of 10 choral scores.
SATB a cappella or ATBB a cappella

Text: Louise Labé
“Ô doux regards” & “Baise m’encor”

This set of romantic partsongs makes a great contribution to any secular program. Composed in the tradition of the madrigal, the settings make extensive use of word painting and other devices common to the genre. With an advanced tonal language inspired by the French tradition, these pieces will challenge your singers to achieve excellent intonation and balance while offering musical delight to audiences. The songs may be paired or performed separately.

Hear a live performance of Ô doux regards or Baise m’encor on our Soundcloud!

Poems by Louise Labé

Ô doux regards, ô yeux pleins de beauté
Petits jardins pleins de fleurs amoureuses
Où sont d’Amour les flèches
dangereuses,
Tant à vous voir mon oeil
s’est arrêté!

Ô coeur félon, ô rude cruauté,
Tant tu me tiens de façons rigoureuses,
Tant j’ai coulé de larmes langoureuses,
Santant l’ardeur de mon coeur tourmenté!

Doncques, mes yeux,
tant de plaisir avez,
Tant de bons tours par ces yeux recevez ;
Mais toi, mon coeur,
plus les vois s’y complaire,

Plus tu languis,
plus en as de souci.
Or devinez si je suis aise aussi,
Sentant mon oeil être à mon coeur contraire.

O gentle gaze, O eyes where beauty grows,
Like little gardens full of amorous flowers,
Where Love lets fly
sharp arrows from his bow,
Where my eyes too have gazed
for many an hour.

O felon heart, O savage cruelty,
Binding me in so many iron chains,
So many are my lovesick tears and sighs,
My heart so tortured by its burning pain.

Thus you, my eyes,
so much delight have had
From gazing in his eyes, so much enjoyment;
But you, my heart,
the more you see them glad

The more you languish
and the worse your torment.
Then guess if there is any joy for me,
Knowing my heart and eyes thus disagree.

Baise m’encor, rebaise-moi et baise :
Donne m’en un de tes plus savoureux,
Donne m’en un de tes plus amoureux :
Je t’en rendrai quatre
plus chauds que braise.

Las, te plains-tu ? ça que ce mal j’apaise,
En t’en donnant dix autres doucereux.
Ainsi mêlant nos baisers tant heureux
Jouissons-nous l’un de l’autre à notre aise.

Lors double vie à chacun en suivra.
Chacun en soi et son ami vivra.
Permets m’Amour penser quelque folie :

Toujours suis mal, vivant discrètement,
Et ne me puis donner contentement,
Si hors de moi ne fais quelque saillie.

Kiss me, kiss me more and still more,
Give me that scrumptious kiss of yours,
Give me that kiss that’s tenderest,
I’ll give you four
that are hottest.

Sigh! You gripe? Let me soothe your pain
With ten kisses that are sweetest
To mix with ours in bliss greatest.
Enjoy each other e’er again.

Though we each have our private life
To live and let the other do likewise,
Let me insane for our love’s sake.

In discreet life I’d suffer pain
If I could not give myself fain
To you madly for you to take.

Shipping: $2.00 per package of 10.