While training with a local music teacher and embarking on his own compositions, the young Johannes supported himself by playing the piano in cafes and dance halls.
#Sprig of thyme professional#
His father was a professional musician who played the double-bass in local theatres. Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg in 1833. Liebeslieder Waltzes and Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes The Miller of Dee is an energetic masculine celebration of life, work, youth and making merry, ending in a toast to the king!Īfton Water tells of happy mutual love a faithful couple live an idyllic rural life, accompanied by the sound of the sweetly-flowing river. O Can You Sew Cushions? expresses tender maternal love in a gentle lullaby. Willow Song is a sorrowful lament in which the willow tree and willow garland symbolise lost love. She is prepared to give up all her wealth for Johnny, but knows that her future is uncertain. I Know Where I'm Going is about another 'handsome, winsome Johnny', this time sung by a rich girl whose family don't approve of her choice. A girl wishes she could tell all men of the pain and grief their lies cause. The Cuckoo tells of the joy of falling in love and the pain of betrayal. He regrets that he could not be carefree and light-hearted in his youth, as his sweetheart advised him now it's too late. She waits for time to pass and for the thyme in her garden to grow again, but cannot forget her love.ĭown By The Sally Gardens is a mature man's lament for lost love and lost youth. In this song, first documented in 1689, a false young man steals a maiden's love, then deserts her. Thyme is a symbol of innocence once stolen, it is lost for ever.
The Sprig of Thyme warns young girls of the dangers of falling in love. The Willow Tree is a young man's lament – for lost wealth, a false friend, lost love and lost hope. She praises her handsome Johnny and hopes that the boat he sails in will be seaworthy. The Keel Row is a Geordie lassie's love song. The Bold Grenadier warns that young girls should beware of falling for dashing soldiers, who will surely love them and leave them. Rutter's arrangements give new life to these songs, passing on his 'delight and pleasure' to us, both as singers and as listeners. The Sprig of Thyme is an affectionate tribute to their composers and poets a few were renowned, most were obscure or unknown, but the songs they created were famous, and I remember them fondly.' These songs brought me delight and pleasure then, and they still do now, though pleasure has become tinged with nostalgia because, for the most part, they are forgotten and gone from our lives, perhaps forever. 'For children growing up in post-war England as I did, traditional songs still form a common musical currency. Here's what Rutter wrote about his feelings for this music: Through simple, direct language and lilting melodies, the songs tell us about the complexities of human life - especially where love is concerned! In The Sprig of Thyme John Rutter has collected eleven songs from across the British Isles and Ireland which make up a colourful musical patchwork of human experience. Listen to The Bold Grenadier from 'The Sprig of Thyme' performed by the Stanford Chamber Chorale, while you browse this page.įolk songs have passed down from generation to generation, telling timeless stories of ordinary people's lives.
We hear of innocent maidens and handsome young men, of love won and lost, married bliss, the pain of betrayal and the wisdom which maturity brings.
O ur Spring concert brings you three fine song cycles which explore every aspect of love.
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