It was a lover and his lass

Thomas Morley (1557–1602) · Renaissance

At a glance

Voicing
SATB
Language of the text
English
Key
G major
Series
Choir
Available voices
Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass
Score
PDMX / MuseScore, Public domain licence

Chapters, Soprano part

  1. Intro
  2. FIRST LISTEN — the whole piece, all voices
  3. RHYTHM READING — the words in rhythm, on one note
  4. SLOW — your part only
  5. FULL TEMPO — your part only
  6. IN PAIRS — your part and Alto
  7. WITH THE CHOIR — your part highlighted
  8. BALANCE CHECK — all voices equal
  9. End screen

Chapters, Alto part

  1. Intro
  2. FIRST LISTEN — the whole piece, all voices
  3. RHYTHM READING — the words in rhythm, on one note
  4. SLOW — your part only
  5. FULL TEMPO — your part only
  6. IN PAIRS — your part and Soprano
  7. WITH THE CHOIR — your part highlighted
  8. BALANCE CHECK — all voices equal
  9. End screen

Chapters, Tenor part

  1. Intro
  2. FIRST LISTEN — the whole piece, all voices
  3. RHYTHM READING — the words in rhythm, on one note
  4. SLOW — your part only
  5. FULL TEMPO — your part only
  6. IN PAIRS — your part and Basso
  7. WITH THE CHOIR — your part highlighted
  8. BALANCE CHECK — all voices equal
  9. End screen

Chapters, Bass part

  1. Intro
  2. FIRST LISTEN — the whole piece, all voices
  3. RHYTHM READING — the words in rhythm, on one note
  4. SLOW — your part only
  5. FULL TEMPO — your part only
  6. IN PAIRS — your part and Tenore
  7. WITH THE CHOIR — your part highlighted
  8. BALANCE CHECK — all voices equal
  9. End screen

Practise with the player

Notes on the piece

An ayre by Thomas Morley (1557–1602), from the First Booke of Ayres (1600), on lines from Shakespeare's As You Like It. Lively and dancing.

Written with AI assistance

Text and translations

Original text · English

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 springtime, 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,
Those pretty country folks would lie,
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flower
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
And therefore take the present time,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
For love is crownèd with the prime
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

Source of the text: poetryfoundation.org

Score

The source and licence of the score are acknowledged; the editions below are for cross-checking.

PDMX / MuseScore · Licence: Public domain

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