This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Blow, Breeze, from the North
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Blow, Breeze, from the North by George J. Elvey — Lyrics
HOLIDAY ODE TO THE NORTHWEST WIND
Blow, breeze, from the north and the west,
Through the clear afternoon;
To all that gives solitude zest,
To the zeal, not the languor, of rest
Our tired spirits attune.
Blow, breeze, in the deep of the night.
Solemnsweet in our ears,
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About Blow, Breeze, from the North
George J. Elvey’s Blow, Breeze, from the North opens with a sense of gentle motion in the choir’s interwoven lines, depicting the soft arrival of a light breeze. The music builds as the text describes the wind’s power, the SATB voicing swelling to capture the organ-like tones and the potent might of the gale. The setting reflects the ode’s journey from the quiet contemplation of solitude and rest to the overwhelming power of nature, and finally to the invigorating renewal and hope brought by the dawn. It is a secular English partsong, its shifting musical textures mirroring the changing moods of the text and the elemental force of the wind.
