This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Cruel, you pull away too soon
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
SST · Brian Russell
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Cruel, you pull away too soon by Thomas Morley — Lyrics
Cruel, you pull away to soone your lips, your dainty lips,
when as you kisse mee,
But you should hould them still
and then should you blisse mee,
Now or eare I tast them,
strait away they hast them,
But you perhaps retire them,
to move my thoughts thereby
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About Cruel, you pull away too soon
This secular madrigal for two sopranos and tenor opens with a playful interplay between the voices, mirroring the text's lighthearted, teasing complaint. Thomas Morley captures the witty lyric, which laments a lover's hasty retreat after a kiss. The music skillfully conveys the singer's desire for a more lingering embrace, with the upper voices often chasing the tenor line. The piece is a delightful example of English Renaissance part-song, where vocal lines entwine to express a lover's impatience and longing for a more sustained moment of bliss, ultimately expressing a desire for endless kissing.
