concerts at the new Royal Festival Hall in 1951. The orchestra was the Liverpool Philharmonic and eleven of the original sixteen soloists sang; Ena Mitchell replaced Turner, Gladys Ripley replaced Balfour, and William Herbert, Richard Lewis and Stephen Manton replaced Titterton, Widdop and Jones. The performance was recorded and has been released on CD. Leonard Bernstein included the Serenade to Music in his programme for the New York Philharmonic's concert for the opening of Avery Fisher Hall in New York on 23 September 1962. The soloists were Adele Addison, Lucine Amara, Eileen Farrell, Lili Chookasian, Jennie Tourel, Shirley Verrett-Carter, Charles Bressler, Richard Tucker, Jon Vickers, George London, Ezio Flagello and Donald Bell. The performance was recorded live and has been issued on CD by Sony Classical. Text In arranging Shakespeare's text, Vaughan Williams followed the word order, but cut words, phrases, and whole lines, and repeated at the end eleven words from the third and fourth lines, producing the following text. The initials mark the singers' solo passages; ensemble passages are shown in italics: How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night Become the touches IB of sweet harmony. HN Look how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: FT There's not the smallest orb that thou behold'st But in his motion like an angel sings, WW Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins; Such harmony is in immortal souls; PJ But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. SA Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn! With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear, And draw her home with music. ES I am never merry when I hear sweet music. RE The reason is, your spirits are attentive – HW The man that hath no music in himself, RH Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds, RE Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils; NA The motions of his spirit are dull as night And his affections dark as Erebus: Let no such man be trusted. MBr Music! hark! It is your music of the house. AD Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day. MJ Silence bestows that virtue on it ET How many things by season season'd are To their right praise and true