Greensleeves: an Analysis of the Folk Song

Greensleeves is one of the English-speaking world's best-known and best-loved folk songs. It emerged in England in the 16th century, traveled to America with the Pilgrims in 1620, and, with new words by William C. Dix, became a Christmas carol as "What Child Is This?" in the 19th century. Today it is still a favorite vehicle for folksingers and Christmas carolers.

Even more remarkable than the simple, comfortable beauty of "Greensleeves" is the complex, unconventional manner in which the beauty is achieved. An analysis of the form and the modal-tonal implications of the melody will help students understand the music, help performers shape the nuances of the music, and help listeners enjoy the full richness of the music.

The published version of the folk song used for the following analysis is the widely available Dover edition.

The text of the original folk song is a ballad about an inconstant lover named Lady Greensleeves.

Form
The meter is 3/4. The key is E minor.

The basic form is simple and common in songs. It consists of two parts: the verse (or stanza, with changing texts) alternates with the chorus (with one recurring text). However, this is an unusual example of the form because the chorus-except for a brief but musically crucial segment-is practically identical with the verse.

The verse consists of two eight-measure phrases, as does the chorus. Here, in two-measure units, is the form of the whole song:

Verse, phrase 1: A B C D (antecedent)
Verse, phrase 2: A B E F (consequent)
Chorus, phrase 3: G B C D' (antecedent)
Chorus, phrase 4: G B E F' (consequent)

Note the many points of unity: B in every phrase, AB in phrases 1 and 2, BCD in phrases 1 and 3, and BEF in phrases 2 and 4.

Phrase 1 and phrase 2 stand in a relationship called the antecedent (question) and the consequent (answer). Phrase 1 ends ( in the D unit) inconclusively on the fifth degree (B) of the E-minor scale. Phrase 2 ends (in the F unit) conclusively on the first degree, or tonic (E), of the E-minor scale.

Therefore, phrases 1 and 2 together form a completed musical thought: the question and the answer. The same pattern occurs in the chorus.

In performance, the points of unity in the form are self-evident. Therefore, the performer's task is to vary those points so that there is variety within the unity. For example, BCD in phrase 3 might be louder than, or phrased differently from, the same units in phrase 1.

Modal-Tonal Melody
Greensleeves was created during the shift from the old modal system to the modern tonal (major-minor) system. Combining elements of both systems, "Greensleeves" serves as one of music literature's loveliest compressed examples of that shift.

Phrase 1 is clearly in the aeolian mode (now called the natural minor scale). Phrase 2 continues the aeolian for five measures but then shifts to the modern melodic minor scale by raising the sixth and seventh degrees (to C-sharp and D-sharp) to strengthen the consequent cadence to the tonic (E).

Phrase 3 opens with unit G, whose D-natural and C-sharp could briefly indicate D major; but in the context of the whole phrase, the unit could also strike some listeners as E dorian mode. Phrase 4 repeats phrase 3 till, like phrase 2, it shifts to melodic minor for the final cadence.

Elegant Ambiguity
The shifting back and forth between modal and tonal implications can easily become strained and artificial. Yet that never happens in "Greensleeves."

Clearly, the composer or composers of the folk song felt perfectly comfortable with both modal and tonal systems, and handled them together with casual but enduring artistry.

In fact, the sublimity of the seemingly simple tune lies not in an overcoming of the duality in the music but precisely in an embracing of the elegant modal-tonal ambiguity.