Shakespeare's Sonnets: Reimagined

Almost 400 years have passed since the death of William Shakespeare and still his name remains synonymous within modern culture. During his lifetime he was acclaimed and adored mainly for his tragic, comedic and historical plays of which he wrote thirty-eight. To this day, and almost certainly for foreseeable years to come, his work has, and will be, reproduced upon countless occasions. Some of his most eminent pieces remain embedded within our consciousness; tragedies such as Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello; comedies like The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night and the historical plays of the English monarchy all resonate as much today as they did then.

Up until the date of their publishing, however, in 1609, only two of his sonnets had ever found their voice in ink. Publishers of the day were mainly interested in his plays, as they were actors and theatre owners, and in fact the original published copy of The Sonnets by Thomas Thorpe was said to have be obtained by theft. Whatever the circumstances of how the sonnets came to print, it is a vast and utopian archive, of which each piece of prose is delicately constructed in the most personal of terms.

So, I hear you ask, why is this in anyway relevant to someone who has an interest in modern music? Well, allow me to explain.

Renowned musical director of vocal ensemble, I Faglioni (look them up), Robert Hollingworth, has assembled a group of artists to recreate the sonnets of William Shakespeare, blending Elizabethan instruments with modern song form to establish a unique insight into the works. Contributing artists include in addition to I Faglioni; dual Mercury prize nominee, Eliza Carthy; Anna Dennis, who is appearing with Damon Albarn in his new opera Dr. Dee; folkstress Cara Dillon, and Geoff Dugmore (Rod Stewart, Tina Turner) who appears on percussion throughout. Okay, so that's the pop music references out of the way! (box ticked). They have created a thoroughly modern record, and have used a plethora of ‘period’ instruments – lirone (a thirteen string cello-like instrument), theorbo (a very large lute with strings over 170cm), sackbut (predecessor of the modern trombone with a softer sound), cornett (early wind instrument, with finger-holes like a recorder) and shawm (the saxophone of its day) among others.  

I asked the musical director why he felt the need to incorporate these instruments into the project: [It was]not a need – just an idea which we decided to run with.  The relevance to Shakespeare is clear – we just wondered whether it would work. So, we have an ensemble of professional modern and classical musicians, exquisite instruments from the 16th century and arguably the most romantic poetry ever written in the history of the English language - that sounds like a flawless combination doesn’t it?

Well, not quite. In terms of the album itself, it is an eleven track piece in which each one draws almost completely from the selected sonnet which it portrays - an admirable effort. In conjunction with the selected vocal contributors there are relevant genre tweaks and elements of their own individual backgrounds infused into each collaboration. In general, the moods are liberal to the say the least. There are gentle sways towards folk, soft (almost squelchy) rock and of course, sometimes mundane pop which does, through its slight banality, induce a wholesome sound.

Astonishingly, which may portend to how universal music can be, the renaissance instruments at no point feel aged or inappropriate – they are in fact, an invaluable asset. When they are in the foreground the track transcends itself and becomes what it undoubtedly couldn’t be without their addition. The lirone provides a wonderfully caressing sound throughout and the lutes contribute a refreshing tone to tracks that would otherwise become generic with more common stringed instruments.

The sonnets in their very nature can be very sombre as the subject matter is often love, loss and death. So, in certain respects I can contend with the idea that every track couldn’t be so and there had to be some diversity, however, there are the moments when the lyrics are far too tender for the carelessly uplifting melody and jangly backing track. I am, in particular discussing the track (128)How Oft, When Thou, My Music, Music Play’st, where the music fizzles and fidgets with Sgt. Pepper style fiddley arrangements that sound less like a loving ode and more like a wild festival in which you couldn’t care less about the tender emotion that actually lies within the words.

Even on the following, (18)Shall I Compare Thee To A Summers’ Day?, a beautiful and precious declaration in its original form, the actual musical rendition feels all too optimistic and removed from the emotion of the language. Questions begin to arise about the suitability of the prose to the form because it isn’t just that the language is complex, it is that the words deserve more consideration than the furious pace at which they are dealt with. The vibrancy of the vocabulary and the profundity of the story being told does not benefit from being harangued into three and half minutes of cooing, pop ballad.

In the desperate tale of (71)No Longer Mourn For Me When I Am Dead the author tells his love that if thinking of his death should bring her sorrow then he would rather she never thought of him at all. A tragic poem with such sincerity and truth is dealt with on this record like a swatted fly. You feel the least consideration for the vocalist as he shows the least consideration for the meaning, it is contrived and soulless.   

There are tracks that fair rather better in comparison, (49)Against That Time – If Ever That Time Come cannot reach the gracious heights of the written word (I mean, that is a tall order) but the arrangement is considered and delicate and the track benefits from the simple layers of percussion and outstanding vocal. (12)When I Do Count The Clock That Tells The Time honours the prose and creates an authentic atmosphere which expresses the sonnet superbly. It is gracious and mellow, a style which lends itself to the reincarnations. (17)Who Will Believe My Verse In Time To Come, despite the nauseating opening creates the most accomplished chorus of the record - ‘If I could write the beauty of your eyes, and number all your graces. Were some child of yours alive that time, you should live twice, in her, and in my rhyme’, is an adaptation of the original structure of the poem, but, actually, it works

The final track from the sonnet (115)Those Lines That I Before Have Writ Do Lie is perhaps where Robert Hollingworth finds himself most at ease, and you can tell. The vocal ensemble, I Faglioni, create a harrowing rendition which is a deeply moving and sensitive piece – the real highlight of the album. It is, of course, a classical offering but really seems to resonate more than any other track with the subject matter. Perhaps the idea was to create something different and more modern to his past work, however, had I heard more elegant, flowing vocals from I Faglioni with their intertwining melodies or perhaps had the spirit of this track been present throughout the record I believe it could have been triumphant.

In general, however, the tracks can feel awkward and for a listener that does not have access to the original prose, the lyrics may be confusing and vague in this form. When that is the case the meaning and purpose is therefore indecipherable and the music becomes benign. It isn’t honourable enough to merely employ the use of certain, rare instruments and use the greatest prose ever written to create a profound project. What it takes is intense belief in the words in their original form, and a vision for each piece that expresses at least some of what Shakespeare could do so magnificently.

I think for the most part that hasn’t happened. The music was simply pleasant but never purified emotion which is exactly what the sonnets are. As Robert Hollingworth himself testifies, Shakespeare was the man most able to express himself, which therefore means that as the musical director he must have understood the gravity of each piece and the dense emotion seared into every line.

I don’t take this as a magnificent work of art, or even a good pop record. Was it trying to be either? I don’t think it knows. I don’t think it ever set out to be anything or to achieve anything in particular, it simply just wanted to see if it could be. However, what a great disservice to the writing that was.

The value in the project is generating further awareness of the poetry. If you only read the eleven sonnets that were selected for this album then I think it has achieved something. They are undoubtedly mesmerizing and contort with meaning beyond any simple explanation. So, what relevance has this to modern music, again?

Well, inspiration. Lifetime achievement awards have been launched out of the mire of love, loss and tragedy and here is work that has perfected that expression. If you love music, then you must love poetry and love art in the same vein. It is not clichéd prose about these subjects, it is what the clichés were based on in the first place. It is writing at the source of the issue from a man who had perfected his craft to the utmost brilliance. How can you not gain from Shakespeare?

Robert Hollingworth found time to talk to me about the project.

What do you find inspiring about the poetry of William Shakespeare?

That they are so modern but so utterly ‘now’. I know that they appear in this structured form which then seems to be disguised from us through what at first seems like old-sounding language. But once you get past the odd word that you have to look up you’re let into the most private and intimate thoughts of the man the most able to express himself in the history of the English language. 

Why the sonnets? Why not reimagine other pieces of prose?

They’re so iconic, they’re so perfect – but weren’t set to music at the time.

How did the process for this project begin?

I was contacted by Phillip Tenant, a producer of contemporary albums, who had read about a major project I’d done bringing back a massive renaissance mass (for a huge 40 voices) to life. It won some classical international awards and used a lot of instruments from the 16th century. Phillip had this idea to make an album of very contemporary songs but using the sound world of Shakespeare’s time.

Do you believe the songs will be able to connect with people in comparison to contemporary releases?

They’re contemporary songs with the best song texts ever! It stands a pretty good chance!

Who do you believe is your audience for this music?

I’ll leave that one to the marketing guys. I’ve just tried to do as good a job as I can on the songs.

How and why were those particular sonnets selected? Were the artists involved in that process?

There was no rule. Different songwriters came with different inspirations. I was drawn to, How Oft, for example because it’s actually about being in love with a young player of the clavichord – an early keyboard instrument. Shakespeare is jealous because the player is caressing the instrument but is then reconciled in this lovely last line: ‘give them thy fingers, give me thy lips to kiss!’

Did you try to create a cohesive sound within the project or was diversity the aim?

I wanted some diversity to show off the wonderful different instruments that Shakespeare would have known and which are now played by many of the players on this album at his reconstructed theatre, The Globe, in London.

How did the creative process work in terms of your relationship with the musicians?

Well, we’d start with a good outline of a setting of a sonnet that one songwriter or another had done and do a guide vocal to get the initial feel for the song. Then we’d work on colours and textures for the accompaniment. After that it was a question which melody instrument would suit the voice of the singer. ‘Summers’ Day’, for example, started out with two shawms (sort of early oboes) which were great. But when I heard Cara Dillon’s beautifully soft-toned vocal, I knew that a cornett (not the modern brass instrument but a wooden instrument with a brass-type mouthpiece) would be a perfect match for it.

What was fascinating for me, coming from the tradition of classical vocal music (and specialising in renaissance music) was how much time there was to play with the songs, change idea, speeds, feels as new ideas and musicians came into the project.

Why did you feel the need to alter the structure of certain sonnets?

Well, to make a pop album, there are certain demands of structure relating to choruses etc.

Was it difficult to create a sound that was relevant to each piece?

It was much less about the sound and more about the feel of the song. Once we had the feel the sound suggested itself.

Are there any ambitions to take the project into a live arena?

Yes, we anticipate select shows in the autumn in the UK with the full band. That’s therobo, lirone, cornets, sackbuts etc. with all the singers. It will be a massive undertaking and very visual…And maybe a more theatrical show for 2013.

In your opinion, are Shakespeare’s words still relevant?

Are people still interested in love? Come on…

The album was released on the 23rd April – Shakespeare’s Birthday.

All of Shakespeare's Sonnets can be viewed at the following link: http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/