Blow: Lovely Selina - Catherine Bott

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• Blow: Lovely Selina - ...
Lovely Selina, innocent and free,
song for soprano and basso continuo
First performance: Sung in Nathaniel Lee's The Princess of Cleve, 1680
Published in Choice Airs and Songs, IV (London: John Playford, 1683)
Text: Anonymous
Music: John Blow
In this video:
Catherine Bott, soprano
Paula Chateauneuf, guitar
Mark Levy, bass viol
Recorded in 1994
Lovely Selina, innocent and free
from all the dangerous arts of love,
thus in a melancholy grove
enjoy'd the sweetness of her privacy;
'till envious gods designing to undo her,
dispatch'd the swain not unlike then to woo her.
It was not long e're the design did take;
a gentle youth born to persuade,
deceiv'd the too, too easy maid;
her scrip and garlands soon she did forsake,
and rashly told the secrets of her heart,
which the fond man would ever more impart.
False Florimel, joy of my heart, said she,
'tis hard to love, and love in vain,
to love, and not be lov'd again;
and why should love and prudence disagree?
Pity ye pow'rs that sit at ease above,
if e'er you know what 'tis to be in Love.

[@poetChinweJohn]

Beautifully sung, Bravo!! Thank you for sharing this.

[@ImRodHull]

What a voice. Wonderful :)

[@jean-francoisdaignault9612]

That CD was the soundtrack of my twenties, and this beautifully simple melody has never left my mind. Thank you so much for this awesome video!

[@choralcomposerdude]

Gorgeous! I really enjoyed this!

[@maloune63]

quelle pureté dans la voix...merci

[@olialto7]

I think that this is the first time I've been able to listen to Bott's singing without grimacing! I've obviously been listening to the wrong recordings.

[@lasultanica]

wonderful. thank you : )

[@emilygclarinet]

Very pretty :)

[@jamianpal]

I think it's rather good, if we can't see the singer, the score is the next best thing!

[@grantco1313]

@he1305 Probably helps if you can read music...

[@civileso]

@he1305 Not as if I care. Cheers!