Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN SPRING COMES IN (Copper Family) From:Andy Tarr Date: 12 Jan 00 - 10:31 AM
Does anyone know anything about where the Copper Family song "When Spring Comes In" comes from? It's in their songbook, but they don't say much about it. Thanks for any help!
When spring comes in, the birds do sing, The lambs do skip and the bells do ring, While we enjoy their glorious charm, So cheerful and so gay.
The primrose blooms and the cowslip, too. The violets in their sweet retire, The roses shining through the briar, And the daffa-down-dillys which we admire Will die and fade away.
Subject: RE: Origin: When Spring Comes In (from Copper Family) From:Steve Gardham Date: 05 Apr 21 - 04:58 PM
It is in places referred to as 'Spring Glee' which tells of its origins, like some other songs in the Copper family repertoire (Dame Durden) as a glee. Glee clubs, still going, were very popular in the late 18th century and through the 19th. They were generally pretty pastoral pieces sung in parts from music. We've discussed this in other threads. The Copper family style of harmony is at least partly based on the idea of glee singing.
When Spring comes in the birds do sing, The lambs do skip and the bells do ring While we enjoy their glorious charm so noble and so gay.
CHORUS (repeated after each verse): The primrose blooms and the cowslip too, The violets in their sweet retire, the roses shining through the briar, And the daffadown-dillies which we admire will die and fade away.
Young men and maidens will be seen On mountains high and meadows green, They will talk of love and sport and play While these young lambs do skip away. At night they homeward wend their way When evening stars appear.
The dairymaid to milking goes, her blooming cheeks as red as a rose, She carries her pail all on her arm so cheerful and so gay, She milks, she sings, and the valleys ring. The small birds on the branches there sit listening to this lovely fair. She is her master's trust and care, she is the ploughman's joy.
SPRING GLEE (DT Lyrics)(differences in italics)
When Spring comes on, the birds do sing, The lambs do skip and the bells do ring, While we enjoy their glorious charm, So noble and so gay.
The primrose blooms and the cowslip, too. The violets in their sweet retire, The roses shining through the briar, And the daffa-down dillys which we admire Will die and fade away.
Young men end maidens will be seen On mountains high and meadows green; They will talk of love and sport and play While these young lambs do skip away. At night, they'll homeward wand their way When evening stars appear.
The dairymaid to milking goes, Her blooming cheeks as red as a rose. She carries her pail all on her arm, So cheerful and so gay. She milks, she sings, And the valleys ring.
The small birds on the branches there Sit listening to this lovely fair; She is her master's trust and care, She is the ploughman's joy.
@seasonal recorded by the Copper Family filename[ SPRGLEE JY
The lyrics at Mainly Norfolk are exactly the same as those on pp. 238-239 of Bob Copper's A Song for Every Season (1975 Paladin Edition). The only problem with the Norfolk transcription is a misplaced comma in the "dairymaid" line.
second-last line - shouldn't that be "lovely fare"?
DESCRIPTION: "When spring comes in the birds will sing, The lambs will play and bells will ring." "Young men and maidens" court on mountains and in meadows; "the dairymaid ... can milk and she can sing ... her master's trust and care And all a ploughman's joy." AUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1923 (Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames) KEYWORDS: courting farming nonballad bird sheep FOUND IN: Britain(England(South)) REFERENCES (2 citations): Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 222, "When Spring Comes In" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 475) Copper-ASongForEverySeason, pp. 238-239, "When Spring Comes In" (1 text, 1 tune) Roud #439 File: WT222
Subject: RE: Origin: When Spring Comes In (from Copper Family) From:Steve Gardham Date: 19 Apr 22 - 09:18 AM
In another version collected by Hammond which looks as though it might be closer to the original the line runs: 'The birds on every spray draw near to listen to this charming dear.'
The last line of the first verse of The Banks of the Sweet Primroses similarly has: "There I beheld a most lovelie fair." The spelling of lovelie is deliberate to indicate how the word is sung.
Subject: RE: Origin: When Spring Comes In (from Copper Family) From:leeneia Date: 19 Apr 22 - 02:08 PM
Never mind about the MIDI. "Spring Glee" is available on the abcnotation.com site. It's in 6/8 time, so no wonder my attempt to transcribe it in 4/4 hit the rocks.
I'm changing "the violets in their sweet retire" to "attire."
1. When Springtime comes the birds do sing The lambs do play and the bells do ring The primrose blows And the cowslips too The voilets in their sweet retire The roses shinin' through the bri'r And the daffydils which we admi-er Soon dies and fades away
2. On mountains 'igh an' meadows green Young men and maidens may be seen Through woods an' groves They take their way They walk about and sport and say The little lambs do round us play And t'ards 'ome we bend our way When the evenin' star appears
3. Our dairymaid to milkin' goes With 'er bloomin' cheeks as red 's a rose She milks she sings Makes the valleys ring The small birds on their branches there Are listening to this maiden fair For she is 'er master's trust and care She is the ploughboys joy
Subject: RE: Origin: When Spring Comes In / Spring Glee From:leeneia Date: 21 Apr 22 - 12:53 PM
I've copied the music which was on the abc site and changed it a little to match what the Copper Family sings. It's an unusual song; the first verse is eight measures long, the second is twelve, and the third is twenty. Although it's in 6/8, it has occasional measures with only 3 eighth-notes in them.
We get used to the distinctive music of the refrain (the primrose blooms), but then that music is used in the verse part about the milkmaid. Finally, the last refrain is missing.
It's still a nice song, but it's not a folk song. It's an art song. Written out, it's about 80 measures.
sj
