TEXTS ON MUSIC IN ENGLISH
School of Music
University of Nebraska--Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0100
(phone: [402] 472-2507; Internet: plefferts1@unl.edu)
Data entry: Jonathan Haupt
Checked by: Peter Slemon
Approved by: Peter M. Lefferts
Fn and Ft: LECPROV3_TEXT
Author: Anonymous
Title: Leconfield Proverbs
Source: Ewald Flügel, "Kleine Mitteilungen aus Handschriften," Anglia 14 (1892): 463-501 at 477-80.
[-477-] The prouerbis In the garet at the New lodge in the parke of lekingfelde.
1. When the philosophers putagoras and tuball.
From the pure sympill hammer and steth s[v]bstanciall.
The celestiall soundes of musyk first made and dyd expres
They fet them not from curiosite nor grete riches.
2. Oute of the trewe plaine songe the[y] Judgyde the melody
Curius conueyinge hydithe muche armanye
Therfore of the playne nottis to sette a sure grounde
Makithe a modulacion of moste parfyte sounde.
In curiosite oftyme trowthe slippith by.
And in the playne trew nottis all the swetenes dothe lye.
3. A song myssowndithe . yf the prickynge be not right.
So marryd is the melody for lac of fore syght
The sownde of a trew songe makithe trew concorde.
But subtill prickynge mystymythe and causith grete discorde.
[truth. in marg.]
4. A naturall breste is goode with sowndes of moderacion
A glorifiede beste is to curyus withe notis of alteracion
But he that syngithe a trewe songe mesurithe in the meane.
And he that rechithe to hye a trebill his tewnis is not clene.
[moderacion. in marg.]
5. Perfyte vowellynge of a songe to the eere is delectable
He that quadribilithe to hy his voice is variable.
But he is no goode Judge whiche disalowith the songe.
When the ere of parcialite Judgithe it to wronge.
[vnpartialnes. in marg.]
6. He that settithe a songe and makithe it new.
If his warbellis be more curyus than trew.
Or his songe be songe greate faute shall be fownde.
In the dyuers proporciones of the mystvnyde sownde.
[curiosite. in marg.]
7. A breste to audible mowntithe to affexion
He that mesurithe in the meane causithe more deuocion.
And he that caryethe more crochettis than his cvnnynge can prove
Makithe more discorde of doblenes than melody of loue.
[doublenes. in marg.]
8. He that hathe a brym brest and littill inspexion withe all.
Ought to be advisede twyse of his notis musicall.
For he whiche hathe a voice exaltynge to hy
Fo[r] lac of goode knowlege marrithe much melody.
9. He that lyst to sett a goode trew songe.
May not make his breuys to short nor his largs to longe.
He that triethe his tewnes tretabilly vpon a trew grownde.
If connynge be smale the trouthe may make a plesan[t]e sounde.
[-478-] 10. The harpe is an instrumente of swete melodye.
Rude intelligens of the sounde conceyuethe no armonye.
But whoso in that instrumente hathe no speculacion.
What restithe withyn the sownde borde hathe but smale probacion.
11. He that fyngerithe well the keyes of the clavicordis makithe a goode songe
For in the meane is the melodye withe a rest longe.
If the tewnys be not plesant to hym that hathe no skyll.
Yet no lac to the Claricorde for he doith his goode will.
12. He that is a perfyte musicion.
Perceyvithe the lute tewnes and the goode proporcion
In myddest of the body the stryngis sowndith best.
For stoppide in the freytis they abyde the pynnes wrest.
13. Many a swete refreet the musycion dothe synge.
Which is litill conceyvide of light herynge.
For whos sownde os applyede allway to discorde.
Can never deserne the tewnes of a trew monacorde.
14. How may mysmovede tymer Judge a trew instrument.
For in tunabill tewnys he hathe non experyment.
And he that hath an ere oblyvius and febill stomake of affexion
The tewnys of tuball sholde not prayse to Judge wher of he lackes discrecion.
15. A slac strynge in a virgynall soundithe not aright.
It dothe abyde no wrastinge it is so louse and light.
The sounde borde crasede forsith the instrumente.
Throw mysgouernaunce to make notis whiche was not his intent.
16. He that couytithe in clarisymballis to make goode concordaunce.
Ought to fynger the keyes withe discrete temporaunce.
To myche wynd[in]ge of the pipis is not the best.
Whiche may cause them to sypher wher armoney shulde rest.
[[17.]] Immoderate wyndes in a clarion causithe it for to rage.
Soft wynde and moderate makithe the sounde to asswage.
Therfore he whiche in that instrument wolde haue swete modulacion
Bustius wyndes must leue and vse moderacion.
18. A shawme makithe a swete sounde for he tunyth basse.
It mountith not to hy but kepithe rule and space.
Yet yf it be blowne withe to a vehement wynde.
It makithe it to mysgouerne oute of his kynde.
19. The swete orgayne pipis comfortith a stedfast mynde
Wronge handlynge of the stoppis may cause then sypher from ther kynde.
But he that playethe of pipes wher so grete nowmber is
Must handill the keyes all lyke that by misgouernaunce they sounde amysse.
[-479-] 20. The recorder of his kynde the meane dothe desyre
Manyfolde fyngerynge and stoppes bryngithe hym from his tunes clere
Who so lyst to handill an instrument so goode
Must se in his many fyngerynge that he kepe tyme stop and moode.
21. A parfyte modulatour makithe his songe trew
He mesurithe in the meane withe proporcion dew
But whose penne is to swift in prickinge of a songe
He markithe so his mynnyms fro the square that it shall sownde wronge.
22. All theys musicalles well handilled and orderde in ther kynde
Gevithe soundes of swetnes to euery goode mynde
Yet (racionalis lingua expellitÕ instrumentis) all
Wel tymede and tewnede for it is a master of all.
23. Musyke hathe her coloures of dyuersites
Blake voyde, blakefull . alteraciones of curiosite
But the white is more comely and to clennes dothe accorde
For purenes in the margent makithe a trew monacorde.
24. Blake color moste comely in armys the syluer shene
Of virginall purenes whiche is farrest seane
In musyke makithe melody soundynge from all blame
Of the whiche shynythe the clere voce of a pure name
The margent syluer and the notis sabill
Shulde move vs to remembrance of the Joyes Intermynabill.
25. The notis pretendynge sabillis of sownde moste melodyus
Must make a meane in our musyke that we be not oblyvius
But to remembre thende of oure Fynall cantare
When for right we shall haue right and payne for sinistre iudicare.
26. If thou a musicion a Judge shalbe
Pric nott thy notis in the lyne of peruersite
For that shall cause thy notis to haue a wronge sounde
And as thou makist thy sounde so to the it will rebounde.
27. As in the alteraciones thou mayst pric curiously
So may trouthe try the in thy noumbre made peruersly
For yf the sounde lene not to a good proporcion
Thow maist be Judged by a crochet of wronge notynge in thy presumpcion.
28. If thou pric a songe make no obliteracione
But se thy margent be clene withoute contamynacion
For yf thy notis be pricked with to muche alteracion
It shall cause thy dytty lac of melody his goode operacion.
29. And yf thy melody be marrede and the swete sownde
By thy pervers prickinge whiche concordes dothe confounde
For peruersite of thy prickinge and myssoundynge of thy songe
And for thy sophysticall solphynge ite maladicti take it for thy wronge.
[-480-] 30. Musike is a science and one of the seuyn
Withe swete sowndes to prays the plasmator of heuyn
They that of protervite will not tewne well
Ve. Ve. Ve. theyre songe shalbe in hell.
31. He that lystithe his notis to tune welle and tyme
Muste measure in melpomene one of the musys IX
If he meddyll withe megera infernall is the sounde
Ibi erit fletus malange to confounde.
32. The modulacion of musyke is swete and celestiall
In the speris of the planettis makynge sownde armonicall
If we moder oure musyke as the trew tune is
In heuyn we shall synge Osanna in excelsis.