Greensleeves an Italian tune? Correct, well - sort of.

It was written by Henry the Eighth - Wrong! It is one of those myths that refuses to die out.

The tune we now know as "Greensleeves" was one of a whole host of "divisions" or variations on a "ground" or bass line.

Improvising divisions over a ground or bass line was common in the 16th century and a number of standard grounds were in circulation many of of which were of Italian origin including the ground over which Greensleeves was written. These divisions were not often written down, but an early eighteenth century publication called "The Division Flute" consists of written out divisions over a variety of grounds including a set called "Greensleeves to a Ground". This included among others the tune we now call Greensleeves. So Greensleeves has its origin in a set of improvised variations over an Italian bass line which happened to get written down. Although divisions over this ground were possibly known at the time of Henry VIII, it is likely that the set published in the division flute date from much later in the century, during the time of Elizabeth I.

Geoff