Greensleeves (What child is this?): Theme and variations for violin and viola (violin viola duo)

Title: Greensleeves (What child is this?): Theme and variations for violin and viola

Composer: traditional, arr. David Gable

Instrumentation: Violin and Viola

Printout: 2 pages

Note: In the world of traditional music there has always been a significant amount of repurposing. Such is the case with Greensleeves, which has been heard in venues from the concert stage to film and television. The Christmas carol with the lyrics “What child is this” is probably its best known use. First appearing in print in 1580, Greensleeves was sufficiently well-known to be referenced in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, written around 1597.

The audio sample plays the beginning of the first variation.

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