The original was an English folk song initially known as "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" written in late 1580 which is found in various late 16th and early 17th century sources. Renaissance would be a more accurate description.
Greensleeves Lyrics for this version: Alas, my love, you do me wrong To cast me off discourteously And I have loveth you so long Delighting in your company Greensleeves was all my joy Greensleeves was my delight Greensleeves was my heart of gold And who but my lady greensleeves I have been ever at your hand To grant whatever you would crave I have both wagered life and land Your love and good-will for to have Greensleeves was all my joy Greensleeves was my delight Greensleeves was my heart of gold And who but my lady greensleeves Well, I will pray to God on high That thou my constancy mayst see And that yet once before I die Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me Greensleeves was all my joy Greensleeves was my delight Greensleeves was my heart of gold And who but my lady greensleeves
Alas, my love, you do me wrong, To cast me off discourteously. And I have loved you oh so long, Delighting in your company. Greensleeves was all my joy Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves was my heart of gold, And who but my lady greensleeves. I have been ready at your hand, To grant whatever you would crave, I have both wagered life and land, Your love and good-will for to have. Greensleeves was all my joy Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves was my heart of gold, And who but my lady greensleeves. Well, I will pray to God on high, that thou my constancy mayst see, And that yet once before I die, Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me. Greensleeves was all my joy Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves was my heart of gold, And who but my lady greensleeves.
xxsam Isn't þe Early Modern English, or at most Middle English? I'm fairly certain it's not Old English. Ye also exists, as a separate word (not just as a printer's convention for þe), but it means you in the object form: I, me, my, mine thou, thee, thy, thine he, him, his, his she, her, her, hers it, it, its, its we, us, our, ours you, ye, your, yours they, them, their, theirs
In a group that works this tightly together, you don't need a conductor. It's one of the most awesome things about working in a small ensemble - no one leads, everyone leads, you just perform the music. It's freakin' magic, man!
This line-up was, for me, the KS Dream Team of all time. With the incomparable, exquisite tones of David Hurley balanced at the other end by the gorgeous, resonant bass of Stephen Connelly and supported by the stunning harmonies of Robin, Paul, Phil and Chris, one can't ask for anything better. Thank you gentleman, so very much.
+Gonzague Montaigne , that is a common belief, but not so. The musical type it represents came from Italy. Henry died in 1547, some considerable time before that kind of melody was known in England. The earliest known version, published in 1580, refers to the song as a new, northern ballad, suggesting both the time and the place of its origin. Either way, once published, it tore up the charts of the day, and has been with us ever since.
I love both this performance and this rendition of Greensleeves, one of my favorite old compositions and tales of unrequited love. TKS were so in tune with one another; it's lovely to hear such harmony. And that note at 3:01 is just beautiful.
Love this Group, years ago they visited our City of Kitchener. Playing at The Centre In The Square they performed ‘musical’ skits all the while acting and singing, excellent show! 💕
My son, who has a gifted voice, and an appreciation for the difficultly of what has been accomplished with PURE voice! I send a thank you to my youngin' and thank you for posting this. Beautiful. Love & Light, ~deZengo
So many years ago I fell in love with this song because of King's Singers, and this recording brings back so many memories of joy, sadness and true love. Thank you for sharing....
I'm not a huge fan of classical music, I love certain dubstep songs and I frequently listen to what might be considered death metal, but I must say, I put this on repeat until my laptop died. This is an amazing song, and I'm glad someone did a wonderful harmony of voices with it. I could listen to this for hours on end. Thank you RU-vid for introducing me to The King's Singers.
This song truly fascinates me. The history that this song has made is truly phenomenal, and the melodic beauty (especially how these men sang it) just proves that the English language can be beautiful as well as other languages. This may be my favorite song.
in order to hear the kings singers perform, i´ll even endure the most ridiculous ad. i really hope i´ll be able to see you live one day, guys, love your music.
Greensleeves history: Back in olden times, the noblewomen, their dresses were so heavy they could barely walk in them so they sat, often near a window to observe the kingdom. And so, you would only see one thing when peering up to the window - a sleeve!
I love the King's Singers' videos I've found on RU-vid! They are close enough to read the expressions on the faces and it adds even more to the beauty of the song. I own nearly all their cds, and this grouping is the best! I hope to someday see a concert. This was very satisfying!
This was my jam back in the 1490's AD. Me and my renaissance girls had this shit cranking outside saint pauls cathedral. it was lit. Original is okay, but the Shakespearean remix William Byrd made is straight fire 🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯
