Willow song (The Sprig of Thyme) - John Rutter, Cambridge Singers, City of London Sinfonia

‘Willow song' English Traditional Song (16th century)
From the album 'The Sprig of Thyme'

Arranger John Rutter
Conductor John Rutter
Choir The Cambridge Singers
Orchestra Members of the City of London Sinfonia

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LYRICS:
A poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,
Sing willow, willow, willow!
With his hand in his bosom and his head upon his knee.
O willow, O willow my garland shall be.
Sing all a green willow,
Ah me! the green willow my garland must be.

He sighed in his singing and made a great moan,
Sing willow, willow, willow!
I am dead to all pleasure, my true love is gone!
O willow, O willow my garland shall be.
Sing all a green willow,
Ah me! the green willow my garland must be.

The Sprig of Thyme
The Sprig of Thyme offers a selection of traditional songs of the British Isles, drawing together long-standing favourites as Willow Song and The Miller of Dee with lesser known gems as O Can Ye Sew Cushions and The Sprig of Thyme. Many new settings for choir and small instrumental group have been created by John Rutter especially for this album. Rutter’s suite of eleven traditional songs, The Sprig of Thyme (all of which can be heard on this album) is published by Oxford University Press.

‘This is a lovely disc; one to head my list of Christmas presents for musical friends…’ Gramophone

“This superb collection of traditional English songs, arranged by R. Vaughan Williams and John Rutter, is drawn from nursery rhymes, scout camps, and hymns from High Church assemblies. Sung in the peerless tones of The Cambridge Singers, these humble songs echo the gentility and cultural nationalism of postwar England. Included are bold drinking songs, tender lullabies, and love songs of fragile beauty. They bring delight and pleasure from a vanished age.” AllMusic

John Rutter, English composer and conductor, is associated with choral music throughout the world. His recordings with the Cambridge Singers (the professional chamber choir he set up in 1983) have reached a wide global audience, many of them featuring his own music in definitive versions. Among John’s best-known choral works are Gloria, Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, and Visions, together with many church anthems, choral songs and Christmas carols.


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