What Child Is This? - Anonymous (arr. Duarte)

Christmas Carols and Songs for Guitar - Steven Saulls, Classical Guitarist

About the composer and the music…

"What Child Is This?" is a traditional Christmas carol with lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865. It is set to the tune of "Greensleeves," an English folk song that dates back to the 16th century. Both the lyrics and the melody are in the public domain, meaning they are free for anyone to use.

The lyrics originated from a poem Dix wrote while recovering from a serious illness and depression. His spiritual renewal during this time inspired him to write a collection of hymns and poems, including "The Manger Throne," from which the famous carol's lyrics were adapted.

The melody, "Greensleeves," was a well-known secular English folk song long before it became associated with the Christmas season. It is most famous for its mention in William Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor. The pairing of Dix's lyrics with the "Greensleeves" tune was done around 1871 for the hymnal Christmas Carols New and Old.

About the performer...

Steven began studying the guitar at age nine and has attended some of the finest music schools in the world including the Berklee College of Music (Boston), and the Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria). He holds both a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Washington University (1980) and a Master of Music degree from the University of Arizona (1982).

Over the past 40 years, Steven has performed hundreds of concerts throughout the United States, Central & South America and Europe. His recordings 'Modern Music for the Classical Guitar', ‘Espressivo’, and ‘Classical Guitarist Steven Saulls Performing Works by J.S. Bach, Manuel Ponce, and Federico Moreno Torroba’ have received wide acclaim both nationally and internationally. In addition to solo concerts, he has performed over 200 chamber works including guitar concerti (with orchestra) by Vivaldi, Ponce and Rodrigo.

About the recording...

Recorded at The Steven Saulls Guitar Studio, Sahuarita, Arizona/Guitar handcrafted by Martin Blackwell.

Copyright© 2023 Steven Saulls, Sahuarita, Arizona