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Greensleeves – Traditional

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description Greensleeves – Traditional Overview

Greensleeves is a traditional English folk song and melody, first registered in 1580 at the London Stationer's Company. It is often arranged in waltz time and features a distinctive triple-meter structure. The melody has been widely popularized and is frequently, though without firm evidence, attributed to King Henry VIII. Over the centuries, Greensleeves has been adapted into numerous musical styles, remaining a recognizable piece of early modern English music that continues to be performed by classical and folk musicians.

help Greensleeves – Traditional FAQ

Did Henry VIII really write Greensleeves?

There is no reliable evidence that Henry VIII composed it. The melody appeared in records late in the 16th century, decades after Henry's death in 1547, making the popular attribution highly doubtful.

Was Greensleeves originally a waltz?

Not in the modern ballroom sense. Its older tune is commonly felt in a lilting triple meter, and later arrangers often present it as a waltz in 3/4 time.

Are Greensleeves and What Child Is This the same song?

They use the same melody but have different words and histories. William Chatterton Dix wrote the Christmas text What Child Is This? in the 19th century and set it to the much older Greensleeves tune.

What is the earliest known evidence for Greensleeves?

A ballad called A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves was registered in London in 1580. Surviving late-Elizabethan sources preserve several related texts and instrumental versions rather than one definitive original arrangement.

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