The Poetry of English Lute Songs

A seasoned poet and classical singer, Theresa Werba has devoted her life to the rich Western musical heritage, particularly English lute songs and Baroque masterpieces.
Having studied under renowned performers like Julianne Baird and Drew Minter, Werba’s deep understanding of historical performance practice shines through in her collaborations with groups like the Hawaii Opera Theater, the Europa Early Music Consort, and the Mannes Baroque Ensemble. Her album (under the name Theresa Rodriguez), “Lullabies: Traditional American and International Songs,” reveals a musician sensitive to varying folk traditions.
The lute is derived from an Arabic instrument called the “oud.” At first you might think it’s a guitar, but it’s not. A guitar has a flat back and you can press it up against your belly. A lute is very round in the back. Lutenists have to hunch over and envelop it in order to play it.
It’s a very quiet instrument, even quieter than a classical guitar. You sing a song differently than you would in front of an orchestra or an organ or something loud. It’s a more intimate instrument, therefore there’s a more intimate approach to the music. You’re not going to sing it like a Wagnerian soprano would—loudly, with a lot of vibrato.
In an evaluation she did for me, she said, “Theresa has a beautiful voice and uses it intelligently.” I thought that was probably the best compliment I was ever paid in my life about my singing. So I have always tried to use my voice intelligently because of what she said.
John Dowland (1563–1626) published his “First Book of Ayres” in 1597. His most famous work is the poignant “Lachrimae,” which is often done as a solo lute piece but was also adapted into the song “Flow, My Tears.” Thomas Campion (1567–1620) published his “First Book of Ayres” in 1613. One of his famous songs is “Author of Light,” which is a religious lute song. Another affecting song [of his] is “Shall I Come, Sweet Love, to Thee.”
There are some adjustments from modern pronunciation. You would roll or flip your “r.” In words like “wished,” they still pronounced the “-ed” as a separate syllable. It would ruin the iambic rhythm of the poetry if it wasn’t there. So those are things to keep in mind. I always tried to sing them with plenty of emphasis on the words, while basing the ornamentation on what we understand to be the historical performance practices of the time. These things mainly come from treatises, or how the lute tablature might have shown the ornamentation.