My wife Gertrude

Boot, saddle, to horse, and away!
Rescue my castle before the hot day
Brightens to blue from its silvery grey,
Boot, saddle, to horse, and away!

Ride past the suburbs, asleep as you'd say;
Many's the friend there, will listen and pray
God's luck to gallants that strike up the lay,
"Boot, saddle, to horse, and away!"

Forty miles off, like a roebuck at bay,
Flouts Castle Brancepeth the Roundheads' array:
Who laughs, "Good fellows ere this, by my fay,
Boot, saddle, to horse, and away!"

Who? My wife Gertrude; that, honest and gay,
Laughs when you talk of surrendering, "Nay!
I've better counsellors; what counsel they?
Boot, saddle, to horse, and away!"

by Robert Browning (1812-1889) , "My wife Gertrude", from Bells and Pomegranates, in Cavalier Tunes, published 1842

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

by Sir Granville Ransome Bantock (1868-1946) , "Boot and saddle", published 1898. [TTBB a cappella]
by Gena Branscombe (1881-1977) , "Boot and saddle", published 1907. [medium voice and piano]
by Redgewell Dansie , "Boot and saddle", published 1914 [voice and piano], from Cavalier Tunes by Robert Browning, no. ?
by Brian Blyth Daubney (1929-) , "Boot and saddle", 1958. [voice and piano]
by Norman Frank Demuth (1898-1968) , "Boot and saddle", published 1930. [unison voices and piano]
by Louis Drakeford , "Boot and saddle", published 1929 [voice and piano], from Three Cavalier Tunes by Robert Browning, no. ?
by George Dyson (1883-1964) , "Boot, saddle, to horse and away!", published 1922. [unison voices and piano]
by James Easson (1895-?) , "Boot, saddle, to horse and away!", published 1949. [unison voices and piano]
by Colin Hand (1929-) , "Boot and saddle", published 1954. [unison voices and piano]
by Julius Allan Greenway Harrison (1885-1963) , "Boot, saddle, to horse and away", published 1930 [tenor or baritone and piano], from Four Cavalier Tunes, no. ?
by Dorothea Hollins (fl. 1935) , "Boot and saddle", published 1892 [voice and piano], from Four Songs, no. ?
by Gustav Kobbé (1857-1918) , "To horse!", published 1887. [medium voice and piano]
by Harvey Worthington Loomis (1865-1930) , "A Cavalier Song", published 1925 [two-part round with piano], from Folk Songs and Art Songs for Intermediate Grades, Book 2
by (Gerald) Graham Peel (1878-1937) , "Boot, saddle, to horse", published 1911. [high voice and piano]
by C. H. Reed , "Cavalier Song" [high voice and piano], from Twelve songs, no. ?
by James Hotchkiss Rogers (1857-1940) , "Boot and saddle", published 1900. [tenor and piano]
by Hilda May Sarson (1901?-1958) , "Cavalier Song", published 1933, stanzas 1-3. [unison voices and piano]
by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) , "Boot, saddle, to horse and away", 1880, published 1893 [baritone, TTBB chorus, and piano], from Three Cavalier Songs, no. ?
by George Robert Stratton (1897-1954) , "Boot, saddle, to horse, and away", published 1929. [voice and piano]
by Arthur Wills (1926-) , "Boot and saddle", published 1970. [unison voices and piano]

Date added to the website: 2008-07-06.

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 To horse, Boot, saddle, to horse, and away, Boot and saddle, Boot, saddle, to horse, Cavalier Song, A Cavalier Song, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for To horse, Boot, saddle, to horse, and away, Boot and saddle, Boot, saddle, to horse, Cavalier Song, A Cavalier Song, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for To horse, Boot, saddle, to horse, and away, Boot and saddle, Boot, saddle, to horse, Cavalier Song, A Cavalier Song, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for To horse, Boot, saddle, to horse, and away, Boot and saddle, Boot, saddle, to horse, Cavalier Song, A Cavalier Song, 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