This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
At her fair hands
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
SATB · James Gibb
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At her fair hands by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry — Lyrics
At her fair hands how have I grace entreated
With prayers oft repeated!
Yet still my love is thwarted:
Heart, let her go, for she'll not be converted
Say, shall she go? O no, no, no!
She is most fair, though she be marblehearted.
How often have my sighs declared my anguish,
Wherein I daily languish!
Yet still she doth procure it:
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About At her fair hands
Charles Parry’s At her fair hands is a vigorous and dramatic setting for SATB of an English text expressing unrequited love. The composer’s urgent musical gestures reflect the speaker’s frustration and pain. Despite repeated appeals and evident suffering, the beloved remains unmoved. The text grapples with the dilemma of continuing to love someone who offers no reciprocation, ultimately resolving to persist in devotion even in the face of rejection. The music mirrors this internal conflict, with moments of pleading and resignation giving way to insistent declarations. The robust choral writing makes this an engaging and rewarding piece for a choir looking for a substantial secular part-song.
