This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Away to the woodlands
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Away to the woodlands by John Ebenezer West — Lyrics
Away to the woodlands, away!
The shepherds are forming a ring,
To dance to the honour of May,
And welcome the pleasures of Spring.
And shepherdess labours a grace,
And shines in her Sunday’s array,
And bears in the bloom of her face
The charms and the beauties of May.
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About Away to the woodlands
The choir is invited to the woodlands to celebrate the arrival of May and the joys of Spring. This joyful secular SATB partsong by John Ebenezer West depicts shepherds and shepherdesses gathering to dance. The text speaks of abandoning labour for celebration, with Bacchus and Cupid reigning, and everyone crowned with garlands of flowers. It is an ode to the beauty and romance of Maytime, ideal for a light-hearted occasion when the choir wishes to convey a sense of festive merriment and the bounty of nature.
