This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Go, happy rose
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Go, happy rose by Frederick Iliffe — Lyrics
Go, happy Rose, and interwove
With other flowers, bind my Love.
Tell her, too, she must not be
Longer flowing, longer free,
That so oft has fetter’d me.
Say, if she’s fretful, I have bands
Of pearl and gold, to bind her hands;
Tell her, if she struggle still,
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About Go, happy rose
Frederick Iliffe’s partsong Go, happy rose for ATTB voices opens with a gentle, flowing character, quickly establishing a dialogue between the voices. The composer uses this intimate texture to explore the poet’s whimsical, yet somewhat demanding, message to a messenger. The text, a secular poem, describes the messenger being sent to Love with instructions to bind her hands with pearls and gold if she struggles. The music reflects the lightheartedness and playful affection of the words, with the interweaving vocal lines creating a sense of affectionate persuasion. The SATB setting provides a rich sonic palette for this charming declaration of devotion.
