The Lyrics of Henry VIII/En frolyk weson (Barbireau, Incipit)

[ff. 6v-7r]

En frolyk weson

Textual Commentary
This piece appears as an incipit in H, in all three voices each with small initial block capitals, though with little room left among the musical notations for text. “En folyk weson” is listed in H’s table of contents as the fourth work. Here anonymous, the piece is widely attributed to composer Jacob Barbireau. The music of this piece was circulated with a number of texts, among them [1] “Se une fois avant que mourir,” which is implied by incipits in RG27 (f. 9v / f. 16v) and P10660 (f. 47r), with a fuller text found in LCA.xxvi (ff. 4v–5r); [2] “Qu’en dictes vous,” which appears with text twice in C1848 (373, 418); [3] the German “Ein frolich wesen,” which appears in SG462 (ff. 28v–29r), SG463 (#153), and Tu26 (f. 26v); [4] “Mes ieuix ont veu une plaisant figure” which, found in PBLiv (D1r–D2v), is a relatively close and literal translation of the Flemish text listed next; [5] the Flemish text “Een vraulic wesen,” found in T/Br (ff. 15v–16r; ff. 26v–27r) and elsewhere.

The Flemish and German texts provide incipits compatible with that found in H. The fuller German text, as given by Stevens (MCH8 4; after Bournoulli and Moser, eds.), is as below:


 * Ein frölich wesen
 * hab ich erlesen
 * und seh mich um
 * wo ich hinkum
 * in fremde land                                        5
 * wirk mir bekant
 * mer args dann gut
 * durch senens flut
 * gliech heur als ferd
 * auf dieser erd                                       10
 * tu ich mich gliech erkennen.


 * Wo ich dann lend
 * lang als behend
 * mit grosser gir
 * begegnet mir                                        15
 * manch wunder da
 * wie ich umscha
 * gilt es mir gleich
 * in allem reich
 * kum war ich well                                   20
 * kein gelt kein gsell
 * doch tu ich mich nit nennen.


 * Wann es nun kem
 * das mir gezem
 * ging wie es wolt                                    25
 * tet was ich solt
 * recht willig gern
 * in zucht und ern
 * in zucht und ern
 * für mein person
 * auf guten won                                       30
 * in treuer pflicht
 * on args geschicht
 * doch kummert mich gross senen.

The Flemish text, according to Stevens (MCH8 101; after R. Lenaerts [87]) is as follows:


 * Een vraulic wesen myn oogskins saghen,
 * wien ic ghetrauwicheyt moet thoe scriuen,
 * al wilt my haer jonst vvt liefden driuen,
 * nae dese gheen ander om my te behagen.

“En frolyk weson” is reprinted in Stevens MCH8 (4, 101), Atlas (ed. 1.67–68), Meier (ed. Barbireau 2.ii), Bournoulli and Moser, Lenaerts (87), and elsewhere.