Blow blow thou winter wind [choral setting]

  • for solo voice, or for choir (flexible scoring) and piano (or guitar)

  • Duration 2' 40"

Words

by William Shakespeare

performers of this work include

James Bowman
Mark Denza
Rosemary Forbes-Butler

Availability

sheet music (PDF master score with permission to print or download an authorised number of copies) available via this website: GBP 1.75 per print-out

Text

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh, ho! sing, heigh, ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly.
Then, heigh, ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remember'd not.
Heigh, ho! sing, heigh, ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly.
Then, heigh, ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.

As You Like It (Act 2, Scene 7)