Malle Symen

Mally Symen is a song, that suggests a dialog, probably between a man and a woman.

The melody is from England, (Mall Sims). Since the beginning of the 17th century it has been used by many composers: Sweelinck, Jacob van Eyck, Nicolaes Vallet and others.

There are different versions varying according to who the two people in the dialogue are:

– two lovers
– godly reason and man
– Tyter and Galathea

Jacob van Eyck set this tune for recorder flute. It is a standard part of the repertoire of most flute players.

Sweelinck set the song to music as a dialogue, but there are no indications to which text he had in mind.

Malle Symen is rather short; the recording is therefore in two parts.

The first part is played on the Hohlflote 4' of the Brustwerk. This sound a bit like the version for recorder.

The second part is the dialogue part.
The woman represented by the Krumphorn 8' on the Brustwerk and the man by the Rohrflot 8' on Hauptwerk.

The dialogue is very lively and the man speaks the last words, something, which in my experience with women (hardly) ever occurs.