When daisies pied and violets blue

When daisies pied and violets blue
 [And lady-smocks all silver white,
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue,]1
  Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo, then on ev'ry tree
Mocks married men, for thus sings he,
  Cuckoo,
Cuckoo, cuckoo: o word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear.

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
  And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks,
[When]2 turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
  And maidens bleach their summer [smocks]3,
The cuckoo, then on ev'ry tree
Mocks married men, for thus sings he,
  Cuckoo,
Cuckoo, cuckoo: o word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear.

by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) , from Love's Labour's Lost, Act V, Scene 2

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

by Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-1778) , "When daisies pied"
by Madeleine Dring (1923-1977) , "The cuckoo"
by John Edmunds (1913-1986) , "When Daisies Pied"
by Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) , "When daisies pied", op. 28a no. 1 (1946-7) [voice, small orchestra], from Four Songs from Love's Labours Lost, no. 1.
by Wolfgang Fortner (1907-1987) , "When daisies pied", 1946 [voice and piano], from Songs nach Texten von William Shakespeare mit Klavierbegleitung, no. 3.
by Frederick Keel (1871-1954) , "When daisies pied", published 1940. [two-part song]
by George Alexander MacFarren (1813-1887) , "When daisies pied", 1864. [part song]
by Ernest John Moeran (1894-1950) , "When daisies pied", 1940, published 1940 [high or medium voice and piano], from Four Shakespeare Songs, no. 3.
by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) , "Spring", 1953, from Three Songs from William Shakespeare, no. 3.
by Peter Warlock (1894-1930) [pseudonym] , "Mockery", 1927, published 1928.

by Wilhelm Petersen (1890-1957) , "Frühling", op. 46 no. 7, from Lieder aus Shakespeare-Dramen, no. 7.

FIN Finnish (Erkki Pullinen)
NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Arild Bakke)

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 Mockery, The cuckoo, Spring, When daisies pied, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for Mockery, The cuckoo, Spring, When daisies pied, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for Mockery, The cuckoo, Spring, When daisies pied, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for Mockery, The cuckoo, Spring, When daisies pied, 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