This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Autumn II
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Autumn II by Walter Cecil Macfarren — Lyrics
The Autumn skies are flushed with gold,
And fair and bright the rivers run;
These are but streams of Winter cold,
And painted mists that quench the sun.
In secret boughs no sweet birds sing,
In secret boughs no bird can shroud,
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About Autumn II
Walter Cecil Macfarren, a composer known for his prolific output of vocal music, wrote this setting of an English text for TTBB voices. It belongs to the tradition of secular part-songs, popular in the 19th century for amateur choral societies. The text offers a poignant, indeed melancholic, depiction of autumn. Rather than celebrating the season's beauty, the words focus on its transience and the approaching cold of winter. The composer's setting likely captures this mood, contrasting images of golden skies and bright rivers with the stark reality of winter's chill, the absence of birdsong, and the symbolic death of flowers. It is a thoughtful reflection on the passing of time and the fading of beauty, conveyed through rich male-voice harmony.
