Scored for: SATB & piano
Level: 4 mins
Duration: Medium
Other Info: It Was A Lover And His Lass by Will Todd was commissioned by Oxford University Press for their 2016 publication Shall I Compare Thee? a compilation commissioned to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. It Was A Lover And His Lass is a lively and up tempo setting of the well known Shakespeare text from As You Like It.
OUP's description
The volume pays tribute to Britain's greatest writer, presenting a selection of his finest texts set to music by some of today's most accomplished choral composers.
It was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o’er the green cornfield did pass,
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
Between the acres of the rye,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
Those pretty country folks would lie,
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flower
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
And therefore take the present time,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
For love is crownèd with the prime
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
Available to purchase from good music shops. It Was A Lover And His Lass is published by Oxford University Press in their publication How Shall I Compare Thee?