This edition was prepared by Frank de Ruyter — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Elegy on the death of Mr. Shenstone
Staff Notation • Secular, Glees
Preview
0
0
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
Elegy on the death of Mr. Shenstone by Thomas Arne — Lyrics
Come shepherds, we'll follow the hearse,
We'll see our loved Corydon laid;
Though sorrow may blemish the verse,
Yet let the soft tribute be paid.
They called him the pride of the plain,
In sooth he was gentle and kind;
He marked in his elegant strain
The graces that glowed in his mind.
On purpose he planted yon trees,
That birds in the cover may dwell;
He cultured his thyme for the bees,
But never would rifle their cell.
Ye lambkins that play at his feet
Go bleatand your master bemoan;
His music was artless and sweet,
His manners as mild as your own.
Read full lyrics
About Elegy on the death of Mr. Shenstone
This is a deeply felt English glee for double choir (ATTB, TTBB), a secular genre popular in the 18th century. The music immediately establishes a mournful, stately mood, with the two choirs interweaving in rich, homophonic textures that underscore the solemnity of the occasion. The text laments the death of a beloved figure, Corydon, celebrating his gentle nature, kindness, and artistic sensibility. It paints a picture of a man who lived in harmony with nature, planting trees for birds and cultivating thyme for bees. The elegy expresses profound sorrow at his passing, with the natural world itself seeming to mourn his absence and winter taking hold of the year.
