This edition was prepared by Jan Wilke — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Dirge and Hymeneal
Staff Notation • Secular
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Dirge and Hymeneal by Gustav Holst — Lyrics
Dirge
Woe! woe ! this is death's hour
Of spring; behold his flower!
Fair babe of life, to whom
Death, and the dreamy tomb,
Was nothing yesterday,
And now is all!
The maiden, from her play
Beside her lover gay,
The churchyard voices call,
Tolling so slow,
Woe! woe!
Hymeneal
Joy! joy! it is love's day;
Strew the young conqueror's way
With summer's glories young,
O'er which the birds have sung,
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About Dirge and Hymeneal
Gustav Holst's Dirge and Hymeneal is a secular work for SSA voices, setting English words that offer a striking contrast. The 'Dirge' section laments the death of a young maiden, describing death's intrusion on life and love. The text vividly captures the sorrow of loss, with the maiden's flower being cut down and her being torn from life's bosom. This is immediately followed by the 'Hymeneal', a celebration of love and marriage. It bursts with the joy of 'love's day', scattering summer's glories and evoking the songs of birds and a hundred springs. The 'Hymeneal' presents a scene of vibrant celebration, a stark and dramatic counterpoint to the preceding lament.
