John Doan: Music
Remembering Greensleeves
(John Doan)
Greensleeves is a very old tune, possibly dating back a thousand years. Apparently the name comes from a time when suitors wore green as a token of affection during courtship. That tradition may have started when young lovers eluded their village chaperones by arranging to meet in the countryside. When they would return, it was often noticed that their sleeves had mysteriously become grass-stained. In any event, the tune, like young love, seems timeless. I tried to capture that in my arrangment. It came to me several years ago in late spring at the old farmhouse where I live. The windswept wheat formed waves into which children disappeared as they swam after each other. The solitary apple tree that perennially looked over this scene stood proud in its cloak of white blossoms. This is how I remember Greensleeves.