This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Come, Shepherrd swains
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 · Douglas Walczak
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Come, Shepherrd swains by Healey Willan — Lyrics
Come, shepherd swains, that wont to hear me,
Sing now, sigh and groan;
Dead is my love, dead is my hope, my joy, my spring.
Oh, she that was your summer's queen,
Your day's delight, is gone and will no more be seen.
O cruel sprite, break all your pipes,
That wont to sound with pleasant cheer,
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About Come, Shepherrd swains
Healey Willan’s Come, Shepherd Swains is a poignant SATB setting of a secular English text. The music opens with a sense of profound lament, the voices weaving together to express the sorrow of the shepherd narrator. The text speaks of the loss of a beloved, describing her as the 'summer's queen' and 'day's delight' who is now gone. The composer captures the depth of this grief through the interplay of the vocal lines and the overall somber mood. The piece calls for the shepherd’s companions and nymphs to join in his lament, ending with the narrator’s own declaration of death following his lost love. It is a moving example of the partsong genre, reflecting the text's emotional arc with sensitivity and skill.
