It was a lover and his lass - George Shearing, John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers

'It was a lover and his lass'
Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare
From the album ‘Feel the Spirit’
Composer George Shearing
Conductor John Rutter
Choir The Cambridge Singers
Double Bass Malcolm Creese
Piano Wayne Marshall
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LYRICS:
It was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o’er the green cornfield did pass,
In the spring time, the only pretty ring
time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
Between the acres of the rye,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
These pretty country folks would lie,
In the spring time, &c.
This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that life was but a flower
In the spring time, &c.
And therefore take the present time,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino;
For love is crowned with the prime
In the spring time, &c.
(As You Like It, act 5, scene 3)
Songs and sonnets from Shakespeare
This second Shakespeare cycle, by George Shearing, was premièred in 1999 with the composer at the piano, Neil Swainson playing bass, and John Rutter guest-conducting. John instantly loved the music - 'so fresh and youthful, so witty, tender and varied' that he recorded it with the Cambridge Singers.
Feel the Spirit
Strong, stirring spirituals and tuneful, jazz-flavoured settings of Shakespeare’s timeless lyrics are the mouth-watering ingredients of the Cambridge Singers’ album Feel the Spirit. John Rutter has written vivid arrangements of seven well-loved American spirituals for choir, with soloist Melanie Marshall and the BBC Concert Orchestra joining together with the Cambridge Singers for this world première recording.
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.
Contact
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[@alicameron-daw5275]

FABULOUS singing! (and conducting!) Harder than most think to manage union singing so accurately AND with feeling-a truly special musical treasure

[@lawrence18uk]

Sir George Albert Shearing (1919-2011) British jazz pianist , composer (incl. "Lullaby of Birdland")

[@debbiebrett6689]

There are several arrangements of this sonnet, and I like them all - and this is a new one for me to like - or even love!