This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
A Character of Love
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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A Character of Love by Henry Marcellus Higgs — Lyrics
Love is a sickness full of woes,
All remedies refusing;
A plant that with most cutting grows,
Most barren with best using.
Why so? If we enjoy it, soon it dies;
If not enjoyed, it sighing cries,
Hey ho, hey ho!
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About A Character of Love
Henry Marcellus Higgs, a composer of secular partsongs, presents A Character of Love for SATB choir. The text, in English, explores the paradoxical nature of love, describing it as a "sickness full of woes" that grows with resistance and withers with enjoyment. The lyrics lament that love is a "torment of the mind" and an "everlasting tempest," yet it cannot be fully embraced nor completely denied. The recurring refrain "Hey ho, hey ho!" underscores the futility and sighing resignation expressed throughout the poem. Higgs's setting likely captures the contrasting sentiments of this Renaissance-era perspective on romantic affliction.
