Greensleeves
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"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song and tune, basically a ground of the form called a romanesca.
A widely-believed (but completely unproven) legend is that it was composed by King Henry VIII of England (1491-1547) for his lover and future queen consort Anne Boleyn. Anne, the youngest daughter of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, rejected Henry's attempts to seduce her. This rejection is apparently referred to in the song, when the writer's love "cast me off discourteously." It is not known if the legend is true, but the song is still commonly associated with Boleyn in the public mind.
The tune is found in several late 16th century and early 17th century sources, such as Ballet's MS Lute Book and Het Luitboek van Thysius, as well as various manuscripts preserved in the Cambridge University libraries. A broadside ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves." No copy of that printing is known. It appears in the surviving A Handful of Pleasant Delights (1584) as "A New Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green Sleeves. To the new tune of Green sleeves." It remains debatable whether this suggests that an old tune of "Greensleeves" was in circulation, or which one our familiar tune is. Many surviving sets of lyrics were written to this tune.
Early Literary References
In William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, written around 1602, the character Mistress Ford refers twice without any explanation to the tune of "Green Sleeves,"
Subsequent Versions
Loreena McKennitt preforms a cover of "Greensleeves" on her fourth album, The Visit
Leonard Cohen reworked "Greensleeves" into his 1974 song "Leaving Green Sleeves" (off the album New Skin for the Old Ceremony).
Gustav Holst uses the melody in the fourth movement of his Second Suite in F for Military Band "Fantasia on the Dargason"
The Smothers Brothers sang a modern version of "Greensleeves" with updated lyrics called "Where the Lilac Grows." It is found on their 1962 album The Two Sides of the Smothers Brothers. The same year saw film composer Alfred Newman use the melody throughout the film How the West Was Won.
Composer Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote his Fantasia on Greensleeves for his opera Sir John in Love (1924-28).
Composer Ferruccio Busoni uses the "Greensleeves" melody at the beginning of his opera ''Turandot'' (1917) though it is set in China.
Many other contemporary artists recorded versions of this tune, whether vocal or instrumental, in their own style, including Timo Tolkki, Vince Guaraldi, John Coltrane, Jethro Tull, Enya, The Scorpions, Neil Young, Slime, Vanessa Carlton, Blackmore's Night, Sarah McLachlan and others.
Allan Sherman, the famed parodist, did his own version called "Sir Greenbaum".
"Greensleeves" is also the authorized march of the Canadian Forces' Dental Branch.
It also formed part of a contrapuntal section in the BBC Radio 4 UK Theme by Fritz Spiegl, in which it was played alongside What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?. The UK Theme, including "Greensleeves", was broadcast each day at the start of Radio 4's morning programmes from 1973 until 2006, when it was dropped from the schedule.
A piano rendition of "Greensleeves" is featured during the PlayStation 2 Role Playing Game Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (entitled "Green Sleeves") and was rearranged by the game's composer, Yasunori Mitsuda. It was also featured in the much older game "Punchy" (a "Hunchback" clone), released by Mr. Micro in 1984. The tune was also whistled by either Emir Parkreiner or Con Smith near end of the Gamecube game Killer 7. This may refer to the song "What Child is This?" which has the same tune as "Greensleeves", as a reference to Emir and Garcian being the same person.
A refrain of the melody is heard at the very end of the Beatles song, 'All You Need Is Love', amid the lyrics to 'She Loves You', sung by John Lennon. In a cross-reference to Capcom's Killer7, one of the messages that pops up during gameplay when chaining critical hits is 'All you need is blood.' This may or may not be connected to the usage of the song 'Greensleeves' near the climax of the game, as it's used near the end of 'All You Need Is love'.
During a "Stump the Band" segment on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, an audience member sang a ditty called "Green Stamps," about a grocery clerk, to that tune. The refrain began, Green Stamps were all she gave...
In HKCEE and HKALE, a version of Fantasia on "Greensleeves" performed by Sinfonia of London and conducted by Sir John Barbirolli is broadcast to ensure all candidates that they have turned to the correct channel before the English listening exam.
The adventure computer game King's Quest series used the main theme from "Greensleeves" as title music for the first and second game.
A famous Christmas song, "What Child Is This?", combines the melody of "Greensleeves" with lyrics hailing the newborn Christ, "whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping".
The tune of Greensleeves was frequently worked into documentaries produced by NFL Films, specifically during segments on Vince Lombardi and the 1973 Washington Redskins, frequently known as The Over-The-Hill Gang.
Greensleeves appears twice in the perennialy popular made for TV animated special: A Charlie Brown Christmas, soundtrack available on CD by jazz composer Vince Guaraldi.
Momus used the tune of "Greensleeves" in his song "Sempreverde" (literally meaning "Evergreen") on the 2006 album Otto Spooky.
Timo Tolkki of Finnish power-metal band Stratovarius has recorded his rendition of "Greensleeves" with electric and acoustic guitars on his album Classical Variations and Themes.
There is a version of Greensleeves in the 1962 western film "How the West Was Won." Debbie Reynolds sang the version which began...away, away, come away with me, to the...........and I'll build you a home in the meadow.
During live performances of "Heartbreaker", Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page would often include "Greensleeves" as part of the solo medley (played with a violin bow). The most bizarre thing about these unprecedented solos was that he would later insert the bow into his anus, in front of the live audience.
Derek Trucks Band often performs an instrumental version of "Greensleeves" in conjunction with their song, "Majoun" (from the Songlines album). A performance of this medley can be seen on their Songlines Live DVD.
"The Olde Year Now Away Has Fled" has the melody of "Greensleeves" with different lyrics. Versions have been performed by Áine Minogue and Alfred Deller (in which the title is actually "Greensleeves" with different lyrics.)
Robert Burns wrote a version of the lyrics.
See also
References
External links
- Transcription of A Handful of Pleasant Delights (1584)
- Free Piano sheet music for Greensleeves
- Andrew Kuntz, The Fiddler's Companion: see under Greensleeves [2]
- Easybyte - piano music for Greensleeves / What Child is This
- Tablature transcription for Ukulele
Samples to listen: