On Elizabethan pronunciation: ([ai:] is, more or less, the sound we usually make at the end of 'July'; [i:] that at the end of 'truly'.)
"Final long i is a problem. Rhymes from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries would suggest both [i:] and [ai:] were possible (he/harmony as well as eye/victory). The problem arises when two words with ambiguous final -y (or -ie) rhyme. It is likely that in a rhyme like beautifies/harmonies both words would be pronounced with [ai], but since both pronounciations existed we cannot be certain. These variations probably indicate flexibility in pronunciation of final -y/-ie; they are unlikely to indicate that [i:] was accepted as rhyme for [ai]." (Klauser, in 'Singing Early Music', ed. McGee Rigg and Klausner, 1996, p23. A great book, btw - essays on pronunciation of most languages, and regional forms of Latin, likely to be encountered by singers of early music from c 1100 to c 1700, with accompanying cd giving spoken examples). Since there no rhyme in question in 'July in her eyes hath place', it seems perverse to obscure the meaning by using an unfamiliar pronunciation, especially if no effort is being made towards Elizabethan pronunciation in the rest of the song. Besides, the assonance between "July" and "eyes" is rather pleasing. best wishes, Katherine Davies (having the same argument with my choir) > > > > > You make a good point here, and as an example I > give you the song > >April is my Mistress' Face. The choir I sing with > is currently > >learning this one for performance, and the score > our director gave > >us has a note at the bottom that claims the word > "July" must rhyme > >with the word "truly". I don't have the exact > attribution from the > >transcriber of the score in front of me but > ostensibly he makes a > >claim to this being correct for the period and > context of the song. > > > > > > Regards, > > > Craig > > > To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
