Orpheus with his lute made trees

Orpheus with his lute made trees,
And the mountain-tops that freeze,
Bow themselves, when he did sing:	

To his music, plants and flowers
Ever [sprung]1; as sun and showers
There had made a lasting spring.

Everything that heard him play,
Even the billows of the sea,
Hung their heads, and then lay by.

In sweet music is such art:
Killing care and grief of heart
Fall asleep, or, hearing, die.

possibly by John Fletcher (1579-1625)
possibly by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

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

by Marc Blitzstein (1905-1964) , "Orpheus (Lucius's Song)", 1937.
by Ernst Alexander 'Sas' Bunge (1924-1980) , "Orpheus with his lute", published 1950, from Four XVII^th century poems, no. 1.
by Carl Reinhold Busch (1862-1943) , "Orpheus with his lute", published 1903.
by (Mary Ann) Virginia Gabriel (1825-1877) , "Orpheus"
by Edward German (1862-1936) , "Orpheus with his lute"
by Maurice Greene (1696-1755) , "Orpheus with his lute"
by Ivor Gurney (1890-1937) , "Orpheus", from Five Elizabethan Songs (The Elizas), no. 1.
by Richard Hundley (1931-) , "When Orpheus played"
by Frederick Keel (1871-1954) , "Orpheus with his lute", published 1950. [two-part song]
by George Alexander MacFarren (1813-1887) , "Orpheus, with his lute", 1864. [part song]
by Charles Fonteyn Manney (1872-1951) , "Orpheus with his lute", op. 3 (Five songs) no. 5.
by Thomas Pasatieri (1945-) , "Orpheus" [voice and piano]
by Jason Rico (1978-) , no title [voice, viola]
by Betty Roe (1930-) , "Orpheus with his lute", published 1974 [medium voice, flute, and piano], from Four Shakespeare Songs, no. 4.
by William Howard Schuman (1910-1992) , "Orpheus with his lute"
by Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) , "Orpheus with his lute", published 1866 [voice and piano], from 5 Shakespeare Songs, no. 1.
by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) , "Orpheus with his lute", 1901? [voice and piano]
by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) , "Orpheus with his Lute", 1925, from 3 Songs from Shakespeare, no. 3.

by Charles Bordes (1863-1909) , "Madrigal à la Musique"

by Karl Wilhelm (Vilhelm) Eugen Stenhammar (1871-1927) , "Orfeus med sin lutas klang"

GER German (Julia Hamann)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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