Henry Purcell: Welcome, welcome, glorious morn, Birthday Ode for Mary II, 1691 Z.338

The King's Consort, Robert King
Rogers Covey-Crump, tenor
Michael George, bass
Nigel Short, countertenor
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Evelyn Tubb, soprano
Charles Pott, bass

00:00 I. Symphony
02:24 II. Welcome, welcome, glorious Morn, / Nature smiles at thy return.
04:00 III. At thy return the joyful Earth Renews the Blessings of Maria’s Birth. / The busy Sun prolongs his Race, / The youthful year his earliest Tribute pays /And Frosts forsake his head and Tears his face. / Welcome, welcome, glorious Morn, / Nature smiles at thy return, / For Nature’s richest Pride with thee was born.
08:01 IV. Welcome as when three happy Kingdoms strove / In glad confusion to express their Love, / When ev’ry heart did ev’ry tongue employ / To speak its share of Public Joy, / And great Maria’s Birth declare The noblest Theme, the loudest song of Fame.
10:40 V. The mighty goddess of this wealthy Isle / Rais’d her glad head, and with an awfull smile / She look’d, whilst thousand Cupids hover’d round / And thousand Graces the fair infant crown’d.
12:13 VI. Full of Wonder and Delight, / She saw and bless’d the noble sight.
14:06 VII. And lo! a sacred Fury swell’d her Breast, / And the whole god her lab’ring Soul possest. / To lofty strains her tunefull Lyre she strung / And thus the goddess play’d and thus she sung.
17:23 VIII. My Pray’rs are heard, Heav’n has at last bestow’d / The mighty blessing which it long has ow’d, / At length the bounteous gods have sent us down / A Brightness second only to their own. I see the round years successively move / To ripen her Beauties and crown them with Love; / A Hero renown’d in Virtues and Arms / Shall wear the soft Chain and submit to her Charms, / And Hymen and Hebe shall make it their Care / To pour all their Joys on the Valiant and Fair. / Then, then, our sad Albion shall suffer no more, / She shall fly to his Aid and be free’d by his Pow’r, / And date all her Blessings from this happy hour.
21:19 IX. He to the Field by Honour call’d shall go / And dangers he shall know and wonders he shall do. / The God of Arms his Godlike Son shall bless / And crown his Fleet and Armies with success.
23:02 X. Whilst undisturb’d his happy Consort reigns / And wisely rules the Kingdoms he maintains. / Britain at last shall see her peace restor’d / And pay new Vows for her returning Lord: / Maria then shall all her Cares unbend / And she shall still adorn and he defend.
24:49 XI. Sound, all ye Spheres; confirm the Omen, Heav’n, / And long preserve the blessings thou hast giv’n.

Artwork: Queen Mary II by Anonymous after Jacob Gole. Undated