The Courtier

Long have I lived in Court yet learned not all this while
To sell poor suitors smoke nor where to hate, to smile,
Superiors to adore inferiors to despise.
To fly from such as fall, to follow such as rise,
To cloak a poor desire under rich array.
Nor to aspire by vice though 'twere the quicker way.

by Sir John Davies (1569-1626) , "The Courtier"

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Thea Musgrave (1928-) , "The Courtier", 1956, first performed 1962 [baritone, clarinet, and piano], from Four Portraits, no. 4.

Date added to the website: 2009-01-15.

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Classical Vocal Repertoire