This edition was prepared by John Henry Fowler — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Blow, blow thou winter winds
Staff Notation • Secular, Art songs
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Blow, blow thou winter winds by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry — Lyrics
Blow, blow, thou winter wind.
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heighho! sing, heighho!
unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning,
most loving meere folly:
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About Blow, blow thou winter winds
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry sets these words from Shakespeare's As You Like It for solo tenor. The text contrasts the harshness of winter with the greater cruelty of human ingratitude and false friendship. Parry's setting captures the folk-like directness of the words, with a robust, almost declamatory style that suits the forthright sentiments expressed. The song opens with a clear, strong statement of the opening lines, before moving into the more reflective, yet still jaunty, refrain. It is a direct and vigorous setting of a well-known text.
