Greensleeves (four-part setting, with the chorus)

Background

Most people know "Greensleeves" by its opening phrase, but the old ballad has two halves: a verse, and a refrain that climbs higher and begins by calling out the lady's name. One of the earliest surviving sets of words, "A New Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Greensleeves", was printed in the 1584 songbook A Handful of Pleasant Delights, and its refrain begins "Greensleeves was all my joy". This version includes both halves.

Over four centuries the tune has been written down in slightly different ways. One difference you will notice is the sixth note of the minor scale: some versions keep it low, others raise it a half step. This setting raises it, so in E minor you will meet C sharp rather than C natural, which gives the tune a brighter, more modal colour.

The harmony is in four parts, the way hymns and carols are printed in hymn books: the tune on top and three lower voices moving mostly in long, even notes. The setting is by Peter Gerloff, who has shared many melody settings on Wikimedia Commons under a free licence; this one dates from 2018. For the song's history and an easier version, see the main Greensleeves page.

How to practise it

This arrangement is in E minor and 6/8 time, two dotted-quarter beats to the bar, starting with an upbeat E. It has the same lilt as the 3/4 version, written with shorter note values. Verse and refrain (sixteen bars together) are played three times: in the middle of the keyboard, then with the whole setting an octave higher, then back down.

The right hand plays the tune and the voice just below it (the alto); the left hand plays the two lowest voices (tenor and bass).

Build the texture one layer at a time:

1. The tune alone, singing it as you play, until the dotted rhythm feels relaxed.
2. The tune with the bass line only. These outer voices are the skeleton of any four-part setting.
3. Right hand as written, holding the alto's long notes while the tune moves above. In bar 1 the alto D sits a seventh below the C sharp, so a small hand may release it a fraction early rather than strain.
4. Left hand as written, then hands together, four bars at a time.

The biggest challenge is the second time through, when everything moves up an octave and the left hand plays above middle C; read those bars separately until the position feels normal.

Set a metronome to the dotted-quarter beat at 40, then 50, then the full 61 or so (the app counts this as 92 quarter notes a minute). Listen for a clear tune, softer inner voices and a firm bass. The refrain begins on a long high D: let it ring out as the high point of each verse.

Minor keys and their raised notes are explained in the minor keys unit.