Nyman, who had studied with the noted Baroque music scholar Thurston Dart at King's College London, drew frequently on early music sources in his scores for Greenaway's films: Henry Purcell in The Draughtsman's Contract and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber in A Zed and Two Noughts, Mozart in Drowning by Numbers, and John Dowland in Prospero's Books.
Nyman's popularity increased significantly after he wrote the score to Jane Campion's award-winning 1993 film The Piano. The album ("The Piano") became a classical music best-seller. Although Nyman's score was central to the movie he did not receive an Academy Award nomination despite being nominated for both a British Academy Award and a Golden Globe. He has scored numerous other films, the vast majority of them art films from Europe. His few forays into Hollywood composing have been Gattaca ("Gattaca"), Ravenous (with musician Damon Albarn), and The End of the Affair ("The End of the Affair").
Among Nyman's better known non-film works are Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs (1987), for soprano, alto, tenor and instrumental ensemble (based on Nyman's score for La Princesse de Milan); Ariel Songs (1990) for soprano and band; MGV (Musique à Grande Vitesse) (1993) for band; concertos for piano (based on The Piano score), harpsichord, trombone and saxophone; the opera The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (1986), based on a case-study by Oliver Sacks; and several string quartets.
On children's television shows, Michael has created the music for Katie and Orbie and Titch.
Many of Nyman's works are written for his own ensemble, the Michael Nyman Band, a group formed for a 1976 production of Carlo Goldonip's Il Campiello. Originally made up of old instruments such as rebecs and shawms alongside more modern instruments like the saxophone in order to produce as loud a sound as possible without amplification, it later switched to a fully amplified lineup of string quartet, three saxophones, bass trombone, bass guitar and piano. This line up has been variously altered and augmented for some works.
Nyman also wrote an influential book in 1974 on experimental music called Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond, which explored the influence of John Cage on classical composers. He is generally acknowledged to have been the first to apply the term "minimalism" to music, in a 1968 article in The Spectator magazine about the English composer Cornelius Cardew.
In the 1970s, Nyman was a member of the infamous Portsmouth Sinfonia, the self-described World's Worst Orchestra - playing on their recordings and in their concerts.
He has also recorded pop music, with the Flying Lizards
THE MASQUE
Michael Nyman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats and peas;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And flat meads thatched with stover, them to keep;
And thy broom-groves,
Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,
Being lass-lorn; the Queen o′th'Sky,
Whose watery arch and messenger am I,
Here on this grass-plot, in this very place
To come and sport. Her peacocks fly amain.
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.
Hail, many-coloured messenger, that ne′er
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers
Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers,
And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
My bosky acres and my unshrubbed down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth. Why hath thy queen
Summoned me hither to this short-grassed green?
A contract of true love to celebrate;
And some donation freely to estate
On the blest lovers.
Tell me, heavenly bow,
If Venus or her son, as thou dost know,
Do now attend the queen.
Of her society
Be not afraid. I met her deity.
Cutting the clouds towards Pathos and her son
Dove-drawn with her. Here thought they to have done
Some wanton charm upon this man and miad,
Whose vows are that no bed-right shall be paid
Till Hymen's torch be lighted but in vain.
Mars's hot minion is returned again.
Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more, (x2(but play with sparrows
And be a boy right out.)
High′st queen of state,
Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.
How does my bounteous sister? Go with me
To bless this twain, that they may Prospus be
And honoured in their issue.
Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings [up]on you.
Earth′s increase, foison plenty,
Barns and garners never empty,
Vines and clust'ring bunches growing,
Plants and goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you at the farthest
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you,
Juno sings her blessings [up]on you.
Juno does command.
(X2(Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
A contract of true love. Be not too late.)
--[The Tempest Act IV scene I 68-148]
The Masque is a song within a play from Shakespeare's The Tempest, and Michael Nyman composed a choral piece to be performed in Kenneth Brannagh's movie adaptation of the play. The lyrics of The Masque are performed by spirits wearing mylar-trimmed costumes appearing to Ferdinand (the prince of Naples) and Miranda (Prospero's daughter) as they declare their love for one another. The Masque's verse, spoken by Ceres, a Roman goddess of agriculture, pays tribute to nature's abundance and blessings. Ceres invites Juno, the queen of the gods, to bless the couple's union while asking her about the presence of Venus or Cupid. The Masque's lyrics and choral arrangement are remarkably stirring and rhythmic, using repetition and simple language to highlight the joys and benefits of nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas
Oh Ceres, kind and generous lady of plant life,
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats and peas;
With an abundance of crops such as wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats, and peas;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
We find grassy mountains where sheep graze;
And flat meads thatched with stover, them to keep;
And flat meadows with thatched stover to feed them;
And thy broom-groves,
And your broom groves,
Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,
Whose shadow is sought out by lonesome men;
Being lass-lorn; the Queen o′th'Sky,
As they have been rejected by a woman, the Sky Queen,
Whose watery arch and messenger am I,
Whose messenger I am, traveling under Her watery rainbow arch
Bids thee leave these, and with her sovereign grace,
Invites you to join Her, leaving all this behind,
Here on this grass-plot, in this very place
Here, on this grassy area, right in this spot,
To come and sport. Her peacocks fly amain.
To enjoy sports, as her peacocks fly around wild and free.
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.
Come, rich Ceres, to entertain Her.
Hail, many-coloured messenger, that ne′er
Greetings to you, messenger with many colors, who never
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
Disobeys the wife of Zeus
Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers
With your saffron-colored wings upon my flowers
Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers,
Dispense sweet drops of honey and refreshing rain,
And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
At each end of your blue bow, you grace
My bosky acres and my unshrubbed down,
My bosky acres and unshrubbed pasture,
Rich scarf to my proud earth. Why hath thy queen
A flower bedecked with richness for my fertile soil. Why did your queen
Summoned me hither to this short-grassed green?
Call me to this place with short green grass?
A contract of true love to celebrate;
To celebrate a true love union;
And some donation freely to estate
To offer some gifts that symbolize the joining of the couple.
On the blest lovers.
For the blessed lovers.
Tell me, heavenly bow,
Tell me, celestial bow,
If Venus or her son, as thou dost know,
If you know, whether Venus or her son
Do now attend the queen.
Are now in attendance with the queen.
Of her society
Do not be afraid to be with her
Be not afraid. I met her deity.
Don't be afraid. Because I have met her, Divine One.
Cutting the clouds towards Pathos and her son
Racing toward the clouds, towards Pathos and her love.
Dove-drawn with her. Here thought they to have done
Drawn by her doves. They thought to have done it here,
Some wanton charm upon this man and miad,
Some mischief against the lovestruck couple here,
Whose vows are that no bed-right shall be paid
Whose vows pledged that they would not engage in intercourse until the wedding bed is made,
Till Hymen's torch be lighted but in vain.
But that torch will not be lit, until Hymen, the god of marriage, arrives in vain.
Mars's hot minion is returned again.
Mars' hot-headed son has decided to return again.
Her waspish-headed son has broke his arrows,
Her ill-tempered son has broken his arrows,
Swears he will shoot no more,
Promises never to fire another arrow
but play with sparrows
But instead play with the small sparrows.
And be a boy right out.)
And just be a boy from now on.)
High′st queen of state,
Most exalted queen of state,
Great Juno, comes; I know her by her gait.
Great Juno is approaching, I recognize her walk.
How does my bounteous sister? Go with me
How are you my kind sister? Come with me,
To bless this twain, that they may Prospus be
To bless this couple, so that they prosper,
And honoured in their issue.
And honored by their children.
Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
They will have honor, wealth, and the blessings of marriage,
Long continuance, and increasing,
A long marriage that strengthens over time,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
May every hour bring you joy!
Juno sings her blessings [up]on you.
Juno sings blessings upon you.
Earth′s increase, foison plenty,
Abundance of crops and abundant plenty,
Barns and garners never empty,
Storage spaces are never empty,
Vines and clust'ring bunches growing,
Vines with hanging fruits growing,
Plants and goodly burden bowing;
Plants heavy with their bountiful blessings,
Spring come to you at the farthest
May you always enjoy early Spring,
In the very end of harvest!
Even at the end of the harvest season!
Scarcity and want shall shun you,
Never shall scarceness and lack come near you,
Juno sings her blessings [up]on you.
Juno sings blessings upon you.
Juno does command.
Juno commands.
(X2(Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate
(Come, calm and humble maidens, and help celebrate
A contract of true love. Be not too late.)
A true love union. Do not be too late.)
Contributed by Taylor P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.