This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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.
Blow, blow, thou winter wind by Josef Rudolf Schachner — Lyrics
Blow, blow, thou winter wind.
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heighho! sing, heighho!
unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning,
most loving meere folly:
Read full lyrics
About Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Josef Rudolf Schachner sets these famous words from Shakespeare's As You Like It for SATB choir. The text, delivered here in English, contrasts the harshness of winter with the deeper unkindness of human ingratitude and forgotten friendship. The cheerful refrain of 'heigh-ho, the holly!' adds a layer of defiant jollity to the otherwise melancholic reflections. This part-song is ideal for a winter concert programme, bringing a familiar and poignant text to life with rich choral harmonies.
