A birthday

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;
My heart is like an apple tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a purple sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a dais of [silk and down]1;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleur-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love, is come to me.

by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894) , "A birthday"

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Gordon Ware Binkerd (1916-2003) , "A birthday", published 1971. [SATB a cappella]
by Newel Kay Brown (1932-) , "A birthday", 1969, first performed 1969 [alto, flute, horn], from A Set of Three
by Harry Thacker Burleigh (1866-1949) , "A birthday song", published << 1940. [voice and piano]
by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) , "My heart is like a singing bird", published 1952 [SSA chorus and piano], from Four Christina Rossetti Settings, no. ?
by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) , "A birthday", published 1908. [voice and piano]
by Jean Coulthard (1908-2000) , "A birthday" [voice and piano], from Christina Songs, no. 4.
by Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen (1852-1935) , "A birthday", <<1935. [voice and piano]
by George Selwyn English (1912-) , "A birthday", 1934. [voice and piano]
by Richard Bruce Faith (1926-) , "My heart is like a singing bird"
by Arthur R. Frackenpohl (1924-) , "My love is come to me", published 1961. [ssa, piano]
by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960) , "A birthday", op. 131 no. 2 (1952), published 1953 [soprano or teno and piano], from Three Lyrics by Christina Rossetti, no. 2.
by Miriam Gideon (1906-1996) , "My heart is like a singing bird", 1983 [medium voice and pf (or flute, oboe, vibraphone, violin, and violoncello)], from Wing'd Hour, no. 3.
by (Francis) Edward Gladstone (1845-1928) , "A birthday", published 1872? [voice and piano]
by Alan Gray (1855-1935) , "My heart is like a singing bird", published 1911 [voice and piano], from Three Songs, Book 2
by Cyril Bertram Lander , "A birthday" [voice and piano], from Flores de mi primavera
by Samuel Liddle (1864?-1951) , "A birthday", published 1900 [voice and piano], from Eight Christina Rossetti Poems
by Frederico Longas , "My heart is like a singing bird", published 1927. [voice and piano]
by Isidore Luckstone , "A birthday", published 1920. [voice and piano]
by Sir Alexander Campbell MacKenzie (1847-1935) , "A birthday", published 1878 [voice and piano], from Three Songs
by (James) Albert Mallinson (1870-1946) , "A birthday", published 1901 [voice and piano], note: also set in German
by Willy B. Manson , "A birthday", published 1919 [voice and piano], from Songs of Love and Youth
by Theophile-Jules-Henri Marzials (1850-1920) , "My love is come", published 1881. [voice and piano]
by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) , "A birthday", 1916 [voice and piano], from Trois Poèmes
by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) , "My heart is like a singing bird", 1909, published 1918 [voice and piano], from English Lyrics, set 10 no. 1
by Paul Amadeus Pisk (1893-) , "A birthday", 1939 [medium voice and piano], from 6 Songs
by Ned Rorem (1923-) , "A birthday", from Women's Voices, no. 2.
by Cyril Meir Scott (1879-1970) , "A birthday", 1913. [voice and piano]
by Lord Henry (Richard Charles) Somerset (1849-1932) , "A birthday", published 1895. [voice and piano]
by Charles Gilbert Spross (1874-1961) , "My heart is like a singing bird"
by Arthur Battelle Whiting (1861-1936) , "A birthday", published 1904 [soprano and piano], from Three Songs
by Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson (1931-) , "A birthday", published 1967 [voice and piano], from Six English Lyrics
by Raymond Huntington Woodman (1861-1943) , "A birthday", published 1909. [solo or unison voices and piano or orchestra]
by Karl Young , "My heart is like a singing bird", published 1937. [voice and piano]

by (James) Albert Mallinson (1870-1946) , "Ein Geburtstag", published 1901 [voice and piano], note: also set in ----not found---

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Gentle Reminder

This project is not funded. If you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated!      - Emily I also have a wishlist at Amazon.ca.

Search/Shop for

Sheet music:

  Search sheetmusicplus.com for A birthday song, My love is come, My love is come to me, A birthday, My heart is like a singing bird, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for A birthday song, My love is come, My love is come to me, A birthday, My heart is like a singing bird, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for A birthday song, My love is come, My love is come to me, A birthday, My heart is like a singing bird, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for A birthday song, My love is come, My love is come to me, A birthday, My heart is like a singing bird, art song, Lieder, or chansons

Books:

  The Art of the Song Recital [amazon.com]
  The Book of Lieder: The Original Texts of Over 1000 Songs [amazon.com]
  Search amazon.com for art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for art song, lieder, or chansons

Classical Vocal Repertoire