The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore...

Desdemona
 The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,
 Sing all a green willow:
 Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,
 Sing willow, willow, willow:
 The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans;
 Sing willow, willow, willow;
 Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones;

 [Lay by these:--]1

 Sing willow, willow, willow;

 [Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:--]1

 Sing all a green willow [must be my garland.]2

 [Sing all a green willow;]3

 [Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve,-]4

 [Nay, that's not next.--Hark! who is't that knocks? 

Emilia:
 It's the wind.]1

Desdemona:
 [Sing willow, willow, willow,]3
 [I call'd my love false love; but what said he then? 
 Sing willow, willow, willow:
 If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!]4
 [Sing willow, willow, willow,]3

by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) , from The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, Act IV scene 3 [an adaptation]

a text in English from folk poetry/song tradition

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

by Wolfgang Fortner (1907-1987) , "Willow, willow", 1946 [voice and piano], from Songs nach Texten von William Shakespeare mit Klavierbegleitung, no. 5.
by Erich Korngold (1897-1957) , "Desdemona's song", op. 31 no. 1, from Four Shakespeare Songs, no. 1.
by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) , "Willow, willow, willow", 1881-1883, published 1885, from English Lyrics, set 1 no. 4
by Betty Roe (1930-) , "The willow song", published 1974 [medium voice, flute, and piano], from Four Shakespeare Songs, no. 3.
by Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) , "The willow song", published 1866 [voice and piano], from 5 Shakespeare Songs, no. ?
by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) , "The willow song"

by Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961) , "Willow, Willow"

by Johann Michael Vogl (1768-1840) , "Lied der Desdemona"

by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe (1796-1869) , "Lied der Desdemona", op. 9, Heft 2 no. 2 (1827), published 1828.

by Wilhelm Petersen (1890-1957) , "Lied von der Weide", op. 46 no. 4, from Lieder aus Shakespeare-Dramen, no. 4.

by Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg (1760-1802) , "Aus Shakespeare's Othello I", published 1803, from Kleine Balladen und Lieder Heft V no. 14.

by Wolfgang Fortner (1907-1987) , "Lied vom Weidenbaum", 1946, from Songs nach Texten von William Shakespeare

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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