Greensleeves

About This Song

Greensleeves guitar sheet music: “Greensleeves” is a traditional English folk song and is also known as “My Ladye Greensleeves.” There is no consensus on who composed “Greensleeves.” It has been attributed to Henry VIII, the much-married King of England, with speculation that the lyrics were inspired by Katherine of Aragon or Anne Boleyn. A broadside ballad by the name “A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves” was registered by Richard Jones in 1580, and the song is also found in several late-16th-century and early-17th-century sources, such as Ballet’s MS Lute Book and Het Luitboek van Thysius. William Shakespeare mentions this song by name in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597).

“Greensleeves” uses the musical form called a “romanesca” or its slight variant, the “passamezzo antico.” The romanesca originated in Andalusia, Spain, and is composed of a sequence of four chords with a simple, repeating bass, which provides the groundwork for variations and improvisation. This arrangement by Mr. Pasero is a rhythmic variation on a theme, ranging from waltz to motivato. This arrangement is a splendid concert piece with the verse in A minor and the chorus in C major. (The audio for this score uses an instrumental sound sample to demonstrate the arrangement.) Hear his concert arrangement here.

Greensleeves guitar sheet music: Other guitar arrangements similar to Greensleeves here.

About The Arranger:

Stevan Pasero is recognized as a important contributor to the guitar repertoire over the past three decades. He has transcribed numerous symphonic works and composed, arranged and produced records for solo, duo and various ensembles. He has recorded 50 albums of music and his works appear on over 1000 other albums. Pasero studied classical guitar, then continued his studies in jazz and flamenco. He attended San Francisco State University where he studied musical analysis, harmony and composition, which led to some post-graduate work in transcription and orchestration.