Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Click cover art to view larger version
Track(s) taken from CDA66730

Sylvia, 'tis true you're fair, Z512

composer
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
The Theatre of Music III, 1686
author of text
Anonymous - traditional

Charles Daniels (tenor), Michael George (bass), The King's Consort
Recording details: March 1994
Orford Church, Suffolk, United Kingdom
Produced by Ben Turner
Engineered by Philip Hobbs
Release date: September 1994
Total duration: 1 minutes 40 seconds
 

Reviews

‘Those who need all of Purcell's songs at their fingertips should invest in Hyperion's three-disk survey of secular songs, with outstanding performances by Barbara Bonney, Rogers Covey-Crump and James Bowman’ (The New York Times)
This song was first published in 1686 in Henry Playford’s third volume of The Theatre of Music. Sylvia, the subject of the anonymous author’s bitter harangue, misuses her beauty: instead of bringing ‘consent and enjoyment’ she causes ‘torment’ to her would-be lover. His final line before the bass ‘chorus’ voice joins in is especially direct: ‘For were you not handsome, who the Devil would love you?’

from notes by Robert King © 2003

Other albums featuring this work

Purcell: The complete secular solo songs
The King's Consort
CDS44161/33CDs Boxed set (at a special price) — Download only

[Return to top of page]

Waiting for content to load...
Waiting for content to load...