This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
A Sunny Shaft Did I Behold
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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A Sunny Shaft Did I Behold by Charles Harford Lloyd — Lyrics
A Sunny shaft did I behold,
From sky to earth it slanted:
And poised therein a bird so bold—
Sweet bird, thou wert enchanted!
He sank, he rose, he twinkled, he trolled
Within that shaft of sunny mist;
His eyes of fire, his beak of gold,
All else of amethyst!
And thus he sang: ‘Adieu! adieu!
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About A Sunny Shaft Did I Behold
Charles Harford Lloyd composed this setting of an English poem for SATB choir. The text, taken from Zapolya: A Christmas Tale, describes a bird caught in a shaft of light, singing a farewell to the fleeting joys of spring and a call to depart. The choir will want to capture the imagery of the light, the bird's ethereal beauty, and its urgent, wistful message. Lloyd's choral writing here is characteristic of the rich, late-Romantic tradition of English part-songs, offering directors a colourful and engaging choice for a secular programme.
