Love and Friendship

Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree -
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms'
But which will bloom most constantly?

The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,
It's summer blossoms scent the air.
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who will call the wild-briar fair?

Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with the holly's sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He still may leave thy garland green.

by Emily Brontë (1818-1848) , "Love and Friendship", from Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey, new revised edition, published 1850

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

by John Harvey Clements (1910-) , "The Holly Tree", published 1959. [voice or unison voices, piano]
by Jean Coulthard (1908-2000) , "Roundelay", 1974 [soprano and alto, piano], from Songs From the Distaff Muse, Set Two
by John Woods Duke (1899-1984) , "Love and Friendship", published 1977 [medium voice and piano], from Six Songs on Poems by Emily Brontë, no. ?
by Einna [pseudonym] , "Love and Friendship", published 1879. [voice and piano]
by Herbert Horrocks , "The Holly Tree", published 1956. [SA, piano]
by John Ireland (1879-1962) , "Love and Friendship", published 1928 [voice and piano], from Three Songs, no. ?
by Alfred Jepson , "Love and Friendship", published 1962. [voice, piano]

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Sheet music:

  Search sheetmusicplus.com for The Holly Tree, Roundelay, Love and Friendship, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for The Holly Tree, Roundelay, Love and Friendship, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for The Holly Tree, Roundelay, Love and Friendship, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for The Holly Tree, Roundelay, Love and Friendship, 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