Greenways
Encyclopedia
Greenways is a set of three short atmospheric piano works composed by John Ireland
in 1937; entitled The Cherry Tree, Cypress and The Palm and May. They were written when the composer was 57 and are amongst the last sets of piano works he wrote.
Greenways sets out to depict in music quotations from A.E. Housman (with whom he had a close affinity), William Shakespeare
and Thomas Nashe
, and are full of typical Ireland lyricism and flowing harmonies.
The Copyright for the music was held by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd. from 1938 to 1959, whereupon it was assigned to H. Freeman & Co. and where it continues to be held in the present day.
volume written by A.E. Housman:
“And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.”
The piece is very rich in colour and tone and is in a very resonant D major all the way through, except for the central section that is not key-signatured. The tempo marking is quaver = c.120, though it is common practice to slow this down to 104-108, allowing a more comfortable ride but losing none of the richness.
The notes lie comfortably under the hands (a common characteristic with much of Ireland’s piano works - for example, his Piano Concerto in Eb Major is an ideal work for the gifted pianist with smaller hands) once one becomes used to the colourful harmonies.
This is a popular piece amongst pianists due to the opportunities to show a personal response to the music. Good legato fingering and confident flutter pedalling is required to bring out the tones, and a good balance between the voices must be adhered to.
The piece carries a dedication to Herbert S. Brown and appeared in the 1999-2000 Associated Board Grade 8 syllabus for the piano.
, sung by the Clown in Duke Orsino’s palace (Act II, Scene IV):
“Come away, come away, death,
And in sad cypress let me be laid.”
The main motif for this work is the soft mournful notes in the left hand and the start and the end. Over this, a light chanting can be heard that is reminiscent of a funeral song or lament. The piece reaches a climax in the middle with rising and descending chromatics played between a series a dissonant chords. The ending recapitulates on the opening section and draws the death song to a close.
The bleakness inherent in the piece is compounded by a very uncomfortable 5/4 time signature at an Andante mesto pace throughout, which never allows the listener to feel any regular rhythm or comfort. The key is a very melancholic F minor, though the cadences and chord progressions employed by Ireland are never finished and are constantly left hanging, even on the final chord.
This piece carries a dedication to Alfred Chenhalls.
’s poem cycle Summer’s Last Will and Testament:
“The Palm and May make country houses gay.”
This piece, in contrast to the preceding one, is full of mirth and gaiety. The fast tempo markings (Con moto; dotted crotchet = 63-66) and 6/8 time signature conjure up an image of a country dance or jig. The left hand paints most of the colour in the opening section with constant falling and rising arpeggios, while the right hand introduces the first theme.
The E major start soon transposes into a section in Ab major, where both hands bounce around with a dotted melody which is the second theme. This section turns slightly slower and less jolly with scales up and down in the right hand which rise and get quicker before a brillante slide down the keys leads neatly into a recapitulation of the first theme. The gaiety continues on into a final flourish at the end.
The piece carries a dedication to Harriet Cohen.
John Ireland (composer)
John Nicholson Ireland was an English composer.- Life :John Ireland was born in Bowdon, near Altrincham, Manchester, into a family of Scottish descent and some cultural distinction. His father, Alexander Ireland, a publisher and newspaper proprietor, was aged 70 at John's birth...
in 1937; entitled The Cherry Tree, Cypress and The Palm and May. They were written when the composer was 57 and are amongst the last sets of piano works he wrote.
Greenways sets out to depict in music quotations from A.E. Housman (with whom he had a close affinity), William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and Thomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe was an English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret .-Early life:...
, and are full of typical Ireland lyricism and flowing harmonies.
The Copyright for the music was held by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd. from 1938 to 1959, whereupon it was assigned to H. Freeman & Co. and where it continues to be held in the present day.
The Cherry Tree
The Cherry Tree is prefixed with the last stanza from The Loveliest of Trees, the second poem in the famous A Shropshire LadA Shropshire Lad
A Shropshire Lad is a cycle of sixty-three poems by the English poet Alfred Edward Housman . Some of the better-known poems in the book are "To an Athlete Dying Young", "Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now" and "When I Was One-and-Twenty".The collection was published in 1896...
volume written by A.E. Housman:
“And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.”
The piece is very rich in colour and tone and is in a very resonant D major all the way through, except for the central section that is not key-signatured. The tempo marking is quaver = c.120, though it is common practice to slow this down to 104-108, allowing a more comfortable ride but losing none of the richness.
The notes lie comfortably under the hands (a common characteristic with much of Ireland’s piano works - for example, his Piano Concerto in Eb Major is an ideal work for the gifted pianist with smaller hands) once one becomes used to the colourful harmonies.
This is a popular piece amongst pianists due to the opportunities to show a personal response to the music. Good legato fingering and confident flutter pedalling is required to bring out the tones, and a good balance between the voices must be adhered to.
The piece carries a dedication to Herbert S. Brown and appeared in the 1999-2000 Associated Board Grade 8 syllabus for the piano.
Cypress
Cypress is prefixed with the following line from Twelfth Night by William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, sung by the Clown in Duke Orsino’s palace (Act II, Scene IV):
“Come away, come away, death,
And in sad cypress let me be laid.”
The main motif for this work is the soft mournful notes in the left hand and the start and the end. Over this, a light chanting can be heard that is reminiscent of a funeral song or lament. The piece reaches a climax in the middle with rising and descending chromatics played between a series a dissonant chords. The ending recapitulates on the opening section and draws the death song to a close.
The bleakness inherent in the piece is compounded by a very uncomfortable 5/4 time signature at an Andante mesto pace throughout, which never allows the listener to feel any regular rhythm or comfort. The key is a very melancholic F minor, though the cadences and chord progressions employed by Ireland are never finished and are constantly left hanging, even on the final chord.
This piece carries a dedication to Alfred Chenhalls.
The Palm and May
The Palm and May is prefixed with the fifth line from Spring, the Sweet Spring, a poem from Thomas NasheThomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe was an English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret .-Early life:...
’s poem cycle Summer’s Last Will and Testament:
“The Palm and May make country houses gay.”
This piece, in contrast to the preceding one, is full of mirth and gaiety. The fast tempo markings (Con moto; dotted crotchet = 63-66) and 6/8 time signature conjure up an image of a country dance or jig. The left hand paints most of the colour in the opening section with constant falling and rising arpeggios, while the right hand introduces the first theme.
The E major start soon transposes into a section in Ab major, where both hands bounce around with a dotted melody which is the second theme. This section turns slightly slower and less jolly with scales up and down in the right hand which rise and get quicker before a brillante slide down the keys leads neatly into a recapitulation of the first theme. The gaiety continues on into a final flourish at the end.
The piece carries a dedication to Harriet Cohen.