Larson, "Try me, Good King"

Haley Evanoski

Katherine of Aragon was born to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain in December, 1485. Even though she is known for being the first wife of King Henry VIII, she was originally betrothed and married to Henry’s older brother, Arthur in 1501 (English History). However, when Arthur died shortly after their marriage, Katherine was betrothed to Henry after her previous marriage was annulled (due to never being consummated).

Henry tried to divorce Katherine in 1527, on the grounds that the marriage was cursed, due to the fact that he had married his brother’s widow (English History). Others believed that it was so that he could marry his mistress, Ann Boleyn. When the Papacy denied Henry his divorce to Katherine, he split ties from the Catholic Church and thus created the Church of England.

Katherine was removed from the court and lived out the rest of her life in damp manors in near poverty, refusing to leave England (English History). She was denied contact with daughter, Mary (later Mary Queen of Scots) and Henry, whom she still believed to be her husband (English History). Her title of Queen of England was revoked to Prince Dowager as well, however since she did not believe she was rightfully divorced so she continued to use the title of Queen (English History). Hours before her death on January 7th, 1536 she dictated a last letter to husband (English History). Her letter reads (English History):

My most dear lord, king and husband,
The hour of my death now drawing on, the tender love I owe you forceth me, my case being such, to commend myself to you, and to put you in remembrance with a few words of the health and safeguard of your soul which you ought to prefer before all worldly matters, and before the care and pampering of your body, for the which you have cast me into many calamities and yourself into many troubles. For my part, I pardon you everything, and I wish to devoutly pray God that He will pardon you also. For the rest, I commend unto you our daughter Mary, beseeching you to be a good father unto her, as I have heretofore desired. I entreat you also, on behalf of my maids, to give them marriage portions, which is not much, they being but three. For all my other servants I solicit the wages due them, and a year more, lest they be unprovided for. Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things.
Katharine the Quene.

 Libby Larson took this last letter of Katherine of Aragorn from which to set this piece in Try Me Good King, her song cycle of based upon the last words of the first five wives of King Henry VIII.  

What first strikes the performer when looking at the sheet music is the lack of bar lines and time signatures. There is a tempo marking (q=50) but other than that it is without metric clarity. There are many possible theories to why Larsen decided to exclude bar lines and a time signature. One possible theory that I have is that since Katherine is close to death, she is losing her sense of clarity through time. Another theory, is because Katherine was so rigid in her life due to the rules and regulations of her marital status, this letter is a break from those rules and that symbolizes the lack of structure bar lines and a time signature would give.

When discussing the lack of bar lines, Libby Larsen has explained that she did so to evoke the kind of religious music that Katherine would have experienced in her life. More specifically Larsen says, “She is drawn to the independence from meter and believes that Gregorian chant has a “timeless flow.” She was looking to portray this “flow” in Katherine of Aragon.” (Connor-Bess, p.122)

This is not the only aspect of the song that evokes a religious perspective from the audience and the performer. Through out the piece there is a reoccurring bell tone in the piano. In total this happens 13 times. This is significant historically since the bell was a way to call people to worship or to announce a death. Since Katherine is on her deathbed, it can be thought that Larsen added the bells to make it clear to audience members who may not know the history. However, these bells also serve the purpose of punctuation. The bells always tone after an idea has been expressed. For example, here is the text but with the bells added:

My Most dear and Husband, the hour of my death is now drawing on, (Bell)

The tender love I owe you forces me to commend myself to you (Bell)

And to put you in remembrance of the wealth and welfare of you’re

Soul (Bell) 

In her notes Larsen explains that the bell tones “punctuates each song and releases the spiritual meaning of the words.” (Larsen). To me, it brings to mind the ringing of the bell during communion. Even though the bell tones are consistent through the piece, the rhythmic motives and notes do differ, however each bell tone includes the pitch A1.

The bell tones are not the only repeating motive in the piece. Very specific words in Katherine’s letter have repeating motives, such as the phrase “My noble Lord, King and Husband.” This phrase is repeated twice in this through composed piece. This could represent Katherine’s insistence in contacting her husband. There is also a repetitive nature on the melisma on the word “many” in the phrases, “you have cast me into many calamities”, and, “and yourself into many troubles.” This brings a stress to the word and a new meaning that reading it may not have evoked. 

There is a consistent F pedal in the left hand of the piano, which supports the vocal line in this piece of music. There are many theories my others and myself as to why this pedal tone was added:

1.     Eileen Strempel, thought that it represents the tension between Katherine and Henry (Conner-Bess, p.118)

2.     Tine Milhorn thought the bass pedal represents Katherine’s constant love and faith to Henry, as well as her constant strength in her morals and her faith (Connor-Bess, p.119)

3.     Angela Day felt that the bass pedal symbolizes Katherine’s rosary which she would have had at the time of her death (Connor-Bess, p.119)

From a performance standpoint the pedal F provides a steady pulse for the pianist and the singer to. According to Larsen’s notes about the piece, “the repeated tones recalls the lute and creates psychological tension.” (Larsen)

            The pedal F also provides the foundation for a bigger theme, which is the contrast between the C natural and the C sharp in the piece. Larsen creates two spheres of being for Katherine, the one she is a part of, a place tension (C Sharp creating an F augmented triad) and the one she is going to, a place of peace (C natural creating an F major triad). It is interesting to note that when Katherine is speaking to her husband, her relationship with God, and her daughter the music reflects this tension with F augmented chord. Some lines that incorporate an F augmented chord are:

 My most dear lord, King, and husband.

And I wish to devoutly pray God

For the rest I commend unto you our daughter, Mary 

       

            The bolded words contain a C sharp, creating this F augmented chord. When Katherine is speaking about herself and her love for others an F major chord is used. Some lines where this is occur include:

The tender love I owe you forces me to commend myself unto you

That my eyes desire you above all things, above all things.    

            Another layer of tension that Larsen has added to this already emotionally charged piece is quotes of John Dowland’s “In Darkness Let Me Dwell”. Larsen explains in her notes, “These songs [pieces by Dowland] were composed during the reign of Elizabeth I, and while they are cast as some of the finest examples of the golden age, they also create a tapestry of unsung words, which comment on the real situation of each doomed queen.” (Larsen). The unsung words that Larsen is referring to, is the welcomed release that death will have for Katherine. At this point in Katherine’s life she is living by herself, stripped of her title and family, dying of heart cancer (which is an incredibly painful way to die).  Even through she does not express it out loud, having this well-known piece referenced will give the listeners a clue as to the mental state of Katherine.  

            As a final thought, when looking at this piece it is important that the performer begin by focusing on Katherine as a person and her history and traits before they begin learning this piece. Larsen does a brilliant job of building each compositional choice that she makes from a character or emotional trait that Katherine possesses. I believe this is why this song is very successful in evoking a strong emotional response about a subject that to others may feel stuffy and over-used.                 

   

"Catherine of Aragon - Facts, Information & Biography." English History. February 4, 2015. Accessed April 25, 2015. http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/catherine-of-aragon/.

Connor-Bass, Cynthia. 'The Use Of A Five-Part Lens To Create Musical "Portraits" Of The Five Queens In Try Me, Good King By Libby Larsen'. Doctoral. West Virginia University, 2009. Print.

Larsen, Libby. “Try Me, Good King.” Program notes. Try Me, Good King.19 Jan. 2001. Print