Lessons · Showcase

Greensleeves

Traditional: relative minor, the two leading tones

% Greensleeves is written under a MAJOR key signature but lives in
% its relative minor: the tune starts and ends on 6. In 6/8 the
% measure splits in two dotted beats (watch the ':' sit at the
% midpoint):
 
bpm 60
instrument plain
meter 6
unit 1/8
key g maj
 
Verse ::= 6 _2 '1 _4 '2 _2 '3 _3 '4 '3 _2 '2 _4 7 _2 5 _3 6 7 _2 6 _4
Verse
 
 
% The tune's famous shimmer is CHROMATIC: the sixth degree of the
% minor rises on the way up. Under this signature that's 4 against
% 4#. Same phrase, both colors:
 
Plain  ::= 6 _2 '1 _4 '2 _2 '3 _3 '4 '3 _2 '2 _4
Raised ::= 6 _2 '1 _4 '2 _2 '3 _3 '4# '3 _2 '2 _4
 
Plain Raised
 
 
% And the CADENCE raises the leading tone: 5# pulls to 6, the
% relative minor's V–i in two notes:
 
Close ::= 7 _2 5# _4 7 _2 6 _6
 
Verse Close
 
 
% A drone fifth under the verse makes it the folk song it is:
% two fields, one measure's worth of root and fifth stretched long:
 
{Verse Close, {..6 _24, ..3 _24} {..6 _24, ..3 _24}}
 
 
% mm.1-8: the tune with a second voice under it, the top two of a
% setting the twin plays in three and four. Both accidentals the blocks
% above taught are written into it: 4# is the rising sixth of Raised,
% 5# the leading tone of Close. Four bars said twice, and only the
% third bar and its ending change: Open leads out, Shut and Home
% come back.
 
% Rise: the ascent 6 1 2 3 4 over 3 6 5 5, stated twice
Rise ::= {.6, .3} _2 {1, .6} _4 {2, .5} _2 {3, .5} _3 4
 
% Fall: the answer, 3 2 7 falling to 5 6, stated three times entire
Fall ::= {3, 1} _2 {2, .7} _4 {.7, .5} _2 .5 _3 .6
 
% Open, the third bar leading out: 7 1 6 6, then 5# alone, twice
Open ::= {.7, .4} _2 {1, .3} _4 {.6, .3} _2 {.6, .2} _3 .5#
 
% Shut, the same bar coming home: 1 down through 7 6 5# to 4#, twice
Shut ::= {.7, .4} _2 {1, .3} _3 .7 {.6, .4} _2 {.5#, .3} _3 .4#
 
% Home: the arrival, 5# resolving to 6 and held over 3, twice
Home ::= {.5#, .3} _2 {.6, .3} _6 {.6, .3} _4
 
% Open and Shut part company after their first eighth, and the setting
% ends on the two notes it began with, 6 over 3, the relative minor:
assert Open[:1] == Shut[:1]
assert Rise[:1] == Home[1:2]/3
 
| Rise | Fall | Open | .6 _2 {.7, .5#} _6 .3 _4 |
  | Rise | Fall | Shut | Home |
 
 
% mm.9-16, the refrain, and it borrows the verse's middle whole: Fall
% and Open come back untouched, Shut and Home close it a second time.
% One bar is new: the top of the tune, entered after an eighth's rest
% and held a full dotted beat.
 
% Peak: 5 over 7, then over 3; its last sixteenth is the rising sixth
% 4# going out and the plain 4 coming home, stated twice
Peak ::= {5, .7} _6 {5, 3} _3 {4#, 2}
 
% Nothing else about it moves; the override reaches one item:
assert Peak \2 {4, 2} == {5, .7} _6 {5, 3} _3 {4, 2}
 
% Leading out, the ending is Fall's own falling pair a minor third
% lower: the same two chords over B where they stood over D:
assert Fall[1:3]@-3 == {.7, .5#} _4 {.5#, .3} _2
 
% Coming home, bar fourteen holds 5 through the beat instead of
% stepping up to 6, which is Fall short of its last note:
assert Fall[:3] .5 _4 == {3, 1} _2 {2, .7} _4 {.7, .5} _2 .5 _4
 
| - _2 Peak | Fall | Open | .6 _2 Fall[1:3]@-3 .3 _4 |
  | - _2 Peak \2 {4, 2} | Fall[:3] .5 _4 | Shut | Home |

% Greensleeves is written under a MAJOR key signature but lives in
% its relative minor: the tune starts and ends on 6. In 6/8 the
% measure splits in two dotted beats (watch the ':' sit at the
% midpoint):

bpm 60
instrument plain
meter 6
unit 1/8
key g maj

Verse ::= 6 _2 '1 _4 '2 _2 '3 _3 '4 '3 _2 '2 _4 7 _2 5 _3 6 7 _2 6 _4
Verse

% The tune's famous shimmer is CHROMATIC: the sixth degree of the
% minor rises on the way up. Under this signature that's 4 against
% 4#. Same phrase, both colors:

Plain  ::= 6 _2 '1 _4 '2 _2 '3 _3 '4 '3 _2 '2 _4
Raised ::= 6 _2 '1 _4 '2 _2 '3 _3 '4# '3 _2 '2 _4

Plain Raised

% And the CADENCE raises the leading tone: 5# pulls to 6, the
% relative minor's V–i in two notes:

Close ::= 7 _2 5# _4 7 _2 6 _6

Verse Close

% A drone fifth under the verse makes it the folk song it is:
% two fields, one measure's worth of root and fifth stretched long:

{Verse Close, {..6 _24, ..3 _24} {..6 _24, ..3 _24}}

% mm.1-8: the tune with a second voice under it, the top two of a
% setting the twin plays in three and four. Both accidentals the blocks
% above taught are written into it: 4# is the rising sixth of Raised,
% 5# the leading tone of Close. Four bars said twice, and only the
% third bar and its ending change: Open leads out, Shut and Home
% come back.

% Rise: the ascent 6 1 2 3 4 over 3 6 5 5, stated twice
Rise ::= {.6, .3} _2 {1, .6} _4 {2, .5} _2 {3, .5} _3 4

% Fall: the answer, 3 2 7 falling to 5 6, stated three times entire
Fall ::= {3, 1} _2 {2, .7} _4 {.7, .5} _2 .5 _3 .6

% Open, the third bar leading out: 7 1 6 6, then 5# alone, twice
Open ::= {.7, .4} _2 {1, .3} _4 {.6, .3} _2 {.6, .2} _3 .5#

% Shut, the same bar coming home: 1 down through 7 6 5# to 4#, twice
Shut ::= {.7, .4} _2 {1, .3} _3 .7 {.6, .4} _2 {.5#, .3} _3 .4#

% Home: the arrival, 5# resolving to 6 and held over 3, twice
Home ::= {.5#, .3} _2 {.6, .3} _6 {.6, .3} _4

% Open and Shut part company after their first eighth, and the setting
% ends on the two notes it began with, 6 over 3, the relative minor:
assert Open[:1] == Shut[:1]
assert Rise[:1] == Home[1:2]/3

| Rise | Fall | Open | .6 _2 {.7, .5#} _6 .3 _4 |
  | Rise | Fall | Shut | Home |

% mm.9-16, the refrain, and it borrows the verse's middle whole: Fall
% and Open come back untouched, Shut and Home close it a second time.
% One bar is new: the top of the tune, entered after an eighth's rest
% and held a full dotted beat.

% Peak: 5 over 7, then over 3; its last sixteenth is the rising sixth
% 4# going out and the plain 4 coming home, stated twice
Peak ::= {5, .7} _6 {5, 3} _3 {4#, 2}

% Nothing else about it moves; the override reaches one item:
assert Peak \2 {4, 2} == {5, .7} _6 {5, 3} _3 {4, 2}

% Leading out, the ending is Fall's own falling pair a minor third
% lower: the same two chords over B where they stood over D:
assert Fall[1:3]@-3 == {.7, .5#} _4 {.5#, .3} _2

% Coming home, bar fourteen holds 5 through the beat instead of
% stepping up to 6, which is Fall short of its last note:
assert Fall[:3] .5 _4 == {3, 1} _2 {2, .7} _4 {.7, .5} _2 .5 _4

| - _2 Peak | Fall | Open | .6 _2 Fall[1:3]@-3 .3 _4 |
  | - _2 Peak \2 {4, 2} | Fall[:3] .5 _4 | Shut | Home |

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Greensleeves · Showcase