Linden Lea

Sung by Thomas Allen. Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, to a poem by William Barnes. Barnes wrote in the old Dorset dialect of his native place. The pictures are from his birthplace in Dorset.

My Orcha'd in Linden Lea

'Ithin the woodlands, flow'ry gleaded,
By the woak tree's mossy moot,
The sheenen grass-bleades, timber-sheaded,
Now do quiver under voot;
An' birds do whissle over head,
An' water's bubblen in its bed,
An' there vor me the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.
When leaves that leately wer a-springen
Now do feade 'ithin the copse,
An' painted birds do hush their zingen
Up upon the timber's tops;
An' brown-leav'd fruit's a-turnen red,
In cloudless zunsheen, over head,
Wi' fruit vor me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.

Let other vo'k meake money vaster
In the air o' dark-room'd towns,
I don't dread a peevish measter;
Though noo man do heed my frowns,
I be free to goo abrode,
Or teake agean my hwomeward road
To where, vor me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Linden
• Lea

[BillMac380114]

Barnes had a fine ear for language. Listen to your voice, and feel the movement of your mouth, as you say – “To where for me, the apple tree do lean down low in Linden Lea”.

[Flobadog]

@Lisnageeragh Hi, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this way. I haven't heard Thomas Hampson do this one, but as I admire him very much I'll look it out.

[Lisnageeragh]

@Flobadog Could not agree more ....much too overworked for a folk song....I think it's a case of having a poor ear . these folk seem to have just one musical paradigm and force all their performance through its parameters..have you heard Thos Hampson ....I think he uses his technique to better advatage.

[Flobadog]

To Realteen who posted nine months ago: I don't know whether you're male or female or where you come from, or what type of life you lead, but I don't think you can relate this to it. You really need to transport yourself to the era in which this was written and understand the values obtaining then. In that way you'll appreciate its beauties and perhaps begin to feel the peace and simple contentment of the main character and bring that quality to your performance and to your audience.

[Flobadog]

I'm sorry to go against the grain but this to my ear is typical of how so many opera singers ruin a beautiful song. The voice is totally over-produced and the prrrrrronunciation is exagerrrrrated. It may be necessary to reach the back of Covent Garden or the Coliseum, but it's completely out of place in a recorder of this lighter repertoire. Certainly the tone is splendidly focused and the breath control superb, but for goodness sake lighten up a bit and give it some meaning.

[trackieben]

A beautiful song and a beautiful rendition!

[aminorchacha]

This type of Edwardian song should be a complete anachronism. Instead it is beautiful and strangely elegaic. I love it.

[Realteen]

I'm learning this song at the moment, and would really appreciate it if you could explain what it was you got out of the piece. I'm 17 and would love to be able to relate it to my own life so that I can sing it with more meaning and emotion.

Thank you

[msf60khz]

We learnt it at primary school in 1952. It has been my philosophy of life ever since.

[aneutralviewer]

I love the last verse because it speaks straight to my attitudes about life. 'Let other folk make money faster...' etc. I'm a bit of a dreamer and I much prefer that to being ruthless or wotnot.