This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Bring the bright garlands
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Bring the bright garlands by Rosalind Frances Ellicott — Lyrics
Bring the bright garlands hither,
Ere yet a leaf is dying;
If so soon they must wither.
Ours be their last sweet sighing.
Hark, that low dismal chime!
’Tis the dreary voice of Time.
Oh, bring beauty, bring roses,
Bring all that yet is ours;
Let life’s day, as it closes,
Shine to the last thro’ flowers.
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About Bring the bright garlands
Rosalind Frances Ellicott's SATB setting of Bring the bright garlands is an English secular part-song. The text urges seizing the fleeting moments of beauty and love, likening life's transient pleasures to wilting flowers and a rapidly emptying cup. The composer captures this sense of joyful urgency and poignant awareness of time's passage through the music. The lyrics encourage embracing the present, drinking deeply of life's experiences before they fade, and finding brilliance even as moments draw to a close. The part-song form allows for rich harmonic interplay, reflecting both the exuberance and the underlying melancholy of the text.
