This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Hail! bright Spring-time
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Hail! bright Spring-time by Henry Charles Banister — Lyrics
Hail! bright Springtime,
When all the land is ringing
With roundelays of laughing mirth,
And sunshine pricks the sluggard earth:
Oh! bright Springtime,
When all the land is ringing.
O’er spreading heath
We’ll trip a gladsome measure:
Each swain shall lead his own true love,
And through the mazy dances move
O’er springy heath,
And trip a gladsome measure.
The glorious sun
Doth flood the hills with gladness:
The linnet sings upon the thorn,
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About Hail! bright Spring-time
This bright and joyful partsong for SSATB voices captures the exuberance of spring. The music opens with light, dancing figures in the upper voices, soon joined by the lower parts in a lively dialogue that reflects the text’s descriptions of "ringing" and "laughing mirth." The composer musically depicts the "sunshine" and the "gladsome measure" of country dances, with textures that range from imitative passages to richer homophony. The text, a celebration of nature’s awakening and pastoral pleasures, is rendered with a light and energetic spirit, making this an ideal choice for a programme seeking to evoke the fresh bloom of the season. It is a delightful example of English secular part-singing.
