The Poetry of English Lute Songs

A detail from "The Lute Player," circa 1612–1620, by Orazio Gentileschi. Oil on canvas; 56 2/5 inches by 50 3/4 inches. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Public Domain

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.

Author of eight books, including the recent “What Was and Is: Formal Poetry and Free Verse,” Werba’s artistry crosses disciplines, proving that when the heart and mind are in harmony, beauty never fades.

"What Was and Is: Formal Poetry and Free Verse," by Theresa Werba.

Andrew Benson Brown: As a singer, you specialized in English lute songs. What are some of the main features of this bygone genre? Theresa Werba: Lute songs are English art songs of the Elizabethan period, which runs from 1597 to 1620. They incorporate simple, accessible melodies of great lyric beauty and “singability” with strophic poems sung in stanzas. They are, to me, a bridge between folk music and Classical music.

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.

Early music singers use vibrato judiciously, as an ornament, as part of the palette of expression. Most who are singing Elizabethan lute songs today are singing in a “bel canto” style, meaning “beautiful singing.” When you’re producing a sound that way, you endeavor to have the most space in the resonator above the vocal chords as possible, so you lower the larynx and raise the soft palate. You’re employing abdominal and thoracic breathing. The trick is to pace the expiration of air over time so that you can have the energy you need to sing long lines.

Brown: Why is music written more than 400 years ago still relevant today? Werba: The poetry is still highly accessible. It still sounds very fresh. It addresses very human topics, such as love and faith in God. It has a connection to folk music, but it’s also high art, very careful art.  What truly drew me in is the beauty of the poetry and the melodies. They hit me right in the core of my being. I feel like I’ve always known them and I’ve always loved them.

Theresa Werba was drawn to the beauty of the poetry and the melodies of lute music. Courtesy of Theresa Werba

Brown: You studied under the renowned early music soprano Julianne Baird. What did you learn from her that influenced your development as a singer? Werba: Julianne’s voice is on the smaller side of vocal instruments but so exquisite. What I learned from her is that bigger is not always better. The details matter, but you should be judicious with them. In ornamentation and your personal interpretation of a song, maintain your beauty and musicality.

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.

Brown: What’s it like to work with lutenists? Werba: They are very highly attuned to you. It’s a symbiotic thing because the lutenist can vary their ornamentation, as can the singer. Since it’s a more intimate instrument, I would bring it in, as if I literally were singing in a small room, like what they did at court.

Brown: Who are some of the great composers of this era? Werba: Thomas Morley (1557–1602) wrote his “First Book of Ayres” (or songs) in 1600. There’s a beautiful song he wrote called “With My Love My Life Was Nestled.” I just love that one because of the L’s. The alliteration is so gorgeous: “with my love, my life was nestled. … Oh, let love my life remove.”

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.”

Brown: Are there any challenges in conveying the meaning of these early modern English lyrics to a modern audience? Werba: They are timeless lyrics, and they are truthful lyrics. They come from our common humanity. For the most part the songs are very understandable, regardless of the occasional antiquated word. The language is contemporary with the King James Bible and Shakespeare, thus there are plenty of words that end in “-eth,” like “rejecteth.”

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.

Brown: You’re also a published poet. In several poems from your new collection, “What Was and Is: Formal Poetry and Free Verse,” you take music as your subject. What do these different art forms have in common? Werba: There is music in poetry, and there is poetry in music. As a singer, I certainly found the connection early on in my development. It influenced my ability to write poetry because I was already hearing rhymes and alliterations and sentiments in the songs that I was singing long before I ever sat down to write formal poetry. I like to think that my poetry is highly musical, and sounds as beautiful as it reads.

Brown: Your album, “Lullabies: Traditional American and International Songs,” is available on streaming services. How did you select the specific lullabies included there? Werba: I chose some of them because they’re fun to sing. They’re challenging and show off my voice. I also liked their intrinsic value as songs, because I didn’t sing them like I’d be singing them to my kids before bed. I have, however, had people tell me their kids listen to it, and they love it.

The album is a blending of Classical and folk idioms, so that is right up my alley. I sing in Ladino, the language of the Sephardic Jews, for the songs “Nani” and “Durme.” “Roshenkez Mit Mandlen” and “O’fn Pripechuck” are in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jews. “Resonet in Laudibus” is in Latin but it’s not really a lullaby, but a Christmas carol. I include “Brahms’ “Lullaby” in German. And then I do a lot of American lullabies like “Angels Watchin' Over Me.”

"Lullabies: Traditional American and International Songs" by Theresa Rodriguez (now Werba).

Brown: You’ve managed to balance an accomplished career in the arts with having a large family. Have your children inspired your professional endeavors? Werba: They inspire me to provide a legacy for them, and plenty of material through which they can know me, and remember me, and hopefully be as proud of me as I am of them.

Find Theresa Werba at TheresaWerba.com and on social media @theSonnetQueen

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