Healey Willan (1880-1968): Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One

      The Old Testament text is central to this motet by Canadian composer Healey Willan. So our initial markings will center on textual matters.

      DICTION/PHRASING/AGOGIC STRESS:

      Mark the following directions in your score each time a particular word occurs.

      First phrase:"Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away"
      Pencil in a reminder that virtually this whole first phrase is based on a tall "ah" vowel (except for the "eh" in fair and -way and vanishing vowels in diphthongs)
      Make the "s" of "Rise" a z instead
      Underline the "m" of my, "v" of love, "n" of one; these are voiced consonants
      Mark a quick breath between "one" and "come"
      Elide the "m" of "come" onto the first vowel of "away": mahweh
      Mark stresses above "love," "fair," and "come"
      Pencil in an "oo" before each occurance of the "w" vowel in "away"
      Write in an "eh" above the second syllable of "away" to remember to sustain the primary vowel; don't go to the vanishing vowel too quickly

      Second phrase: "for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone"

      Pencil in an "oo" after the quarter note of "lo" to remember to pass through and articulate this vanishing vowel
      Put a schwa (unstressed neutral vowel) in "the"
      Stress the first syllable of "winter"
      Altos/Tenors/Basses: do not take the breath after "past" but stagger breathe
      Elide the "n" of "rain" onto "is"
      Replace the "s" of "is" with a z
      Elide the "z" of "iz" onto "over"
      Underline the "v" of "over" and voice it

      Third phrase: "the flowers appear upon the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come"

      Remember the schwa (unstressed neutral vowel) in "the"
      Replace the "s" of "flowers" with a "z"
      Elide the "z" of "flowers" onto "appear"
      Mark "no breath" between "appear" and "upon"
      Mark that "the" after "upon" is "thee"
      Altos/Tenors/Basses: do not take the breath after "earth" but stagger breathe
      Elide the "m" of "time" onto "of"
      Replace the "f" of "of" with a "v" and underline it
      Replace the "s" of "birds" with a z
      Elide the "z" of "birds" onto "is"
      Place stresses over "sing-," "birds," and "come"
      Replace the "c" of "come" with a k