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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan


 

 

Here is the Winter section of a well known 'song' from William Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. If you want to look it up it is from Act 5 Scene 2, verses III and IV. We haven't included verses I and II which are the Spring verses; and we haven't set it to music because we thought you might like to make a tune yourself!

Icicles

When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp'd and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl -
To-who; 
Tu-whit, to-who
, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson's saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marion's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl -
To-who; 
Tu-whit, to-who
, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

What did Shakespeare have in common with Gilbert & Sullivan? Well Sullivan loved his writings, but Gilbert was not enamoured. He certainly influenced and inspired their work, as you will see in the main story. But, in the meantime, did you join in? Don't forget to find and include the Spring verses!

Now, how about joining the Skaters?

 


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© Music arranged and 'performed' by Dr J Eric Ashton

Copyright © Dr J Eric Ashton 27 September 2010 . All Rights Reserved.

This site was last updated on 27 September 2010 .

 

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