This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
A song for the seasons
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
Preview
0
0
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
A song for the seasons by George J. Webb — Lyrics
When the merry lark doth gild
With his song the summer hours,
And their nests the swallows build
In the roofs and tops of towers;
And the golden broomflower burns
All about the waste,
And the maiden May returns
With a pretty haste—
Then, how merry are the times,
The Summer times! the Spring times!
Now, from off his ashy stone
While the midnight cricket crieth,
And all merry birds are flown,
And our dream of pleasure dieth;
Now the once blue laughing sky
Read full lyrics
About A song for the seasons
This SATB setting of an English text explores the cyclical nature of the seasons and the passage of time. Opening with the vibrant imagery of summer and spring, it captures the joy of lengthening days and nesting birds. The mood then shifts dramatically to winter, evoking the quiet solemnity of short days, frozen landscapes, and fading pleasures. The composer, George J. Webb, uses the contrast between these seasonal moods to reflect on change and renewal. This secular part-song would be suitable for a choir looking to explore themes of nature and the turning year, moving from light to dark and suggesting a return to light.
