A song for the seasons (Henry Thomas Smart)

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• (Posted 2023-12-08)  CPDL #77981:     

Editor: David Anderson (submitted 2023-12-08).   Score information: Letter, 12 pages, 537 kB   Copyright: Personal

Edition notes:

• (Posted 2019-10-23)  CPDL #55702:         

Editor: James Gibb (submitted 2019-10-23).   Score information: A4, 10 pages, 130 kB   Copyright: CPDL

Edition notes: Includes a keyboard reduction of the a cappella choral score.

General Information

Title: A song for the seasons

Composer: Henry Thomas Smart
Lyricist: Bryan Procter

Number of voices: 4vv   Voicing: SATB
Genre: Secular, Partsong

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

First published: 1875 in Novello's Part-Song Book (2nd series), Vol. 8, no. 248
Description: 

Original text and translations

English text

When the merry lark doth gild
With his song the summer hours,
And their nests the swallows build
In the roofs and tops of towers;
And the golden gorse-flower burns
All about the waste,
And the maiden May returns
With a pretty haste,
Sing, sing, sing, T
Then how merry are the times,
The summer times, the spring times.

Now from off his ashen stone,
The chilly midnight cricket crieth,
And all merry birds are gone,
And our dream of pleasure dieth.
Now the once blue laughing sky,
Saddens into gray,
And the frozen rivers sigh,
Pining all away,
Now how solemn are the times,
The winter times, the night times.

Yet be merry; all around
Is through one vast change revolving;
Even Night who lately frowned,
Is in silver dawn dissolving,
Earth will burst her fetters strange,
And in spring grow free,
All things in the world will change,
Save my love to thee,
Sing then, hopeful are all times,
Summer, winter, spring times.