6. Shakespeare, Full Fathom Five
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea change
Into something rich and strange.
Almost all of the cells in our bodies are replaced every so often. Billions of them are replaced every day. Is some part of us aware of this metamorphosis from one moment to the next? Our bodies are our constant, closest companions throughout our lives, and yet they are never static. We sense how hard it will be, in the end, to say goodbye to these vessels of our souls, which have faithfully done their work regardless of our criticism or care. But the truth is that we are saying goodbye to them every moment, in their continuous, miraculous transmutation.
"Full Fathom Five" appears in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Many composers have set it to music over the centuries, but we do not have the music from the original production in c. 1611. The video above is a choral setting by Ralph Vaughn Williams from 1951. For the full text of the song, click here.
This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day through May 31, 2025. Inspired by my MFAH 100 project.
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Have a song you’d like me to consider? Send a message or leave a comment—I can’t promise I’ll include it but I will give it a serious listen.
Very interesting. I thank you. I read the words and thought about them as I prepare a sermon on the Transfiguration....I read your response with "transmutation," and believe I have an interesting dynamic going on now in my sermon.....we'll see. So, I thank you....P.S. I was not familiar with this Williams piece and disappointed that I did not know of it when teaching Shakespeare!
Beautiful! So meaningful and resonant. We loved the MFAH series, and you've kept us gripped with your first songs. Thank you for your careful thought and heartfelt musings, all precisely communicated.